GLACIAL KAME SANDAL-SOLE SHELL GORGETS: AN EXPLORATION OF
MANUFACTURE, USE, DISTRIBUTION, AND PUBLIC EXHIBITION
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE
MASTER OF ARTS
BY
CHRISTINE K. KELLER
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BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
MUNCIE, INDIANA
DECEMBER 2009
GLACIAL KAME SANDAL-SOLE SHELL GORGETS:
AN EXPLORATION OF MANUFACTURE, USE, DISTRIBUTION, AND
PUBLIC EXHIBITION
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE
MASTER OF ARTS
BY
CHRISTINE K. KELLER
DR. RONALD HICKS (THESIS CHAIR)
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
MUNCIE, INDIANA
DECEMBER 2009
ABSTRACT
THESIS:
Glacial Kame Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets: An Exploration of Manufacture,
Use, Distribution, and Public Exhibition
STUDENT: Christine K. Keller
DEGREE:
Master of Arts
COLLEGE: Science and Humanities
DATE:
December 2009
PAGES:
241
This thesis focuses on 12 Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorgets in the Fort
Recovery (OH) State Museum. The Glacial Kame culture was comprised of Late
Archaic people who inhabited northwestern Ohio, neighboring states, and southern
Ontario from 3000 to 500 B.C. Research centered on four questions:

How were sandal-sole shell gorgets made?

What was the purpose of sandal-sole shell gorgets?

What was the distribution pattern within the Midwest of sandal-sole shell gorgets?

How can we best interpret and portray the story of sandal-sole shell gorgets to the
public?
The primary methods used include a comprehensive literature review, detailed
metrical and morphological analyses of regional sandal-sole gorget collections,
discussion with others researching Glacial Kame culture, personal museum visits, and
local research to determine context of the museum‟s collection. Research from this thesis
contributes to the Glacial Kame literature that is currently available.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the members of my thesis committee, Dr. Ronald Hicks
(chairperson), Dr. S. Homes Hogue, both of Ball State University, and William Wepler of
the Indiana State Museum. I very much appreciate the help and suggestions they gave
me and their time and effort in reviewing my proposal and thesis. The BSU Department
of Anthropology Troyer Grant award was very much appreciated and helped with the
travel expenses needed to complete my research.
A thank you to Nancy Knapke, director of the Fort Recovery State Museum in
Ohio, who first talked to me about the sandal-sole shell gorgets in their collection, and to
Don Cochran, then of Ball State University, who encouraged me to use this collection as
the basis of my thesis. Their initial enthusiasm was catching and piqued my interest.
Numerous people allowed me to photograph and analyze their sandal-sole shell
gorget collections including Brian Vastano, Mick Van Steen, Martha Otto (Ohio
Historical Society), Michelle Greenan (Indiana State Museum), and Nancy Knapke (Fort
Recovery State Museum). Without their constant cooperation and assistance, I would not
have been able to complete this thesis as it is today. Brian Vastano supplied me with
additional information (presentations, photos, books, contact names) that was very much
appreciated and invaluable.
Thanks to Beth McCord for allowing me to borrow equipment from the Applied
Archaeology Laboratories at Ball State University and for her continued interest in my
thesis. I also appreciate the feedback from Don Cochran and Dr. Mark Groover of Ball
State University on class assignments related to my thesis. Thanks to Rachel Klabacka of
the Applied Archaeology Laboratories at Ball State University for listening to and
discussing all of my questions and ideas. I am extremely grateful to the Interlibrary Loan
personnel at Ball State University as they were truly wizards in finding the sometimes
obscure resources that I needed.
Thanks to Ralph Nieberding for the stack of old Ohio Archaeologist journals that
proved to be very helpful. I will always be indebted to my supervisors at NOACSC in
Lima, Ohio, for giving me the flexibility to work part-time and from home while I was
completing my course work. A very personal thanks to Jeanne McMillan for being my
sounding board and such a good friend during this entire process.
And lastly, a heartfelt thank you to my parents for always being supportive and
interested in my endeavors; and to Kevin, JD, and Zach for their constant encouragement
and love while I pursued my degree. Thank you, Kevin, for always picking up the slack.
Ne Obliviscaris
i
Table of Contents
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... i
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ ii
List of Figures ............................................................................................................... iii
List of Tables................................................................................................................. vi
Chapter 1: Introduction and Problem Statement ...............................................................1
Introduction .................................................................................................................1
Problem Statement .......................................................................................................2
Chapter 2: Background ....................................................................................................4
General Literature Review ...........................................................................................4
Research Question 1: Manufacture ...........................................................................6
Research Question 2: Use ........................................................................................8
Research Question 3: Distribution .......................................................................... 10
Research Question 4: Public Exhibition ................................................................. 13
Late Archaic Overview .............................................................................................. 15
Glacial Kame Overview ............................................................................................. 17
Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Overview ........................................................................... 25
Chapter 3: Research Methods ........................................................................................ 33
Detailed Gorget Analysis - Sample ............................................................................ 33
Detailed Gorget Analysis - Process ............................................................................ 41
Standard Measurements ......................................................................................... 41
Digital Photographs ............................................................................................... 43
Microscopic Analysis ............................................................................................. 44
Data Collection ...................................................................................................... 47
Glacial Kame Discussions ......................................................................................... 48
Personal Museum Visits ............................................................................................ 50
Local Glacial Kame Research .................................................................................... 51
Chapter 4: Analysis and Results..................................................................................... 52
Hole Measurement Results ........................................................................................ 52
Hole Wear Results ..................................................................................................... 59
Contextual Information Results .................................................................................. 65
Engraved Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets .......................................................................... 72
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County, Ohio .................................................................. 72
Northern Ohio Gravel Pit ....................................................................................... 73
Erie County, Ohio .................................................................................................. 75
Meredith-Goodall Site, Kenty County, Ontario ...................................................... 75
Mulen Kame, Randolph County, Indiana ............................................................... 76
Rammel Site, Mercer County, Ohio ....................................................................... 79
Rammel Site or Fox Site, Mercer County, Ohio ..................................................... 81
Spitzer Site, Hardin County, Ohio .......................................................................... 82
ii
Mercer County, Ohio ............................................................................................. 84
Monroeville, Huron County, Ohio.......................................................................... 86
Symbolism and Ceremonialism .................................................................................. 86
Proposed Gorget Use ................................................................................................. 90
Shell Manufacturing Techniques ................................................................................ 96
Trade and Exchange ................................................................................................ 103
Fox and Rammel Sites, Sharpsburg Ohio ................................................................. 112
Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusions ....................................................................... 118
Research Question 1: Manufacture........................................................................... 119
Research Question 2: Use ........................................................................................ 123
Research Question 3: Distribution ............................................................................ 131
Research Question 4: Public Exhibition ................................................................... 135
Chapter 6: Summary and Recommendations ................................................................ 142
Summary of Research Contributions ........................................................................ 142
Recommendations for Future Research .................................................................... 146
ILLUSTRATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................ 151
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 154
Appendix A: Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Photographs .................................................... 170
Appendix B: Additional Glacial Kame Artifacts at the Fort Recovery State Museum from
the Fox Site and Rammel Site .......................................................................... 219
iii
List of Figures
Figure 1: First account of Glacial Kame burials in Ohio (Mason 1897:347) ................... 23
Figure 2: Map of Glacial Kame sites (Cunningham 1948:36) ......................................... 23
Figure 3: Late Archaic and Early Woodland manifestations (including Red Ocher) in the
Great Lakes and Ohio Valley regions (Dragoo 1963: 235).................................. 24
Figure 4: Map of the "nuclear Glacial Kame area with sites known to be or suspected of
being Glacial Kame" (Converse 1979:9) ............................................................ 24
Figure 5: Map of major Glacial Kame sites (Donaldson and Wortner 1995:7) ................ 25
Figure 6: Classic example of Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorget (concave side facing
up) ..................................................................................................................... 26
Figure 7: Approximate profile of sandal-sole shell gorget (adapted from Hall 1981:199)
.......................................................................................................................... 26
Figure 8: Location of Glacial Kame sites where sandal-sole shell gorgets were found.
Hollow circles indicate site locations where gorgets were used in this research. . 40
Figure 9: Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget (SSSG) Data Sheet - Diagram of standard
measurements taken and tracked for each sandal-sole shell gorget ...................... 42
Figure 10: Digital photograph of typical sandal-sole shell gorget (concave side) with
scale and identification ....................................................................................... 44
Figure 11: Slight Wear (SW) ......................................................................................... 45
Figure 12: Wear (W)...................................................................................................... 45
Figure 13: Heavy Wear (HW) ........................................................................................ 45
Figure 14: Sandal-sole shell gorget with repair holes; OHS-A3738/1.9 .......................... 46
Figure 15: Sandal-sole shell gorget with more than 3 holes; FRSM-08 .......................... 47
Figure 16: Sample of sandal-sole shell gorget database record ....................................... 48
Figure 17: Illustration of hole-wear pattern 1 exhibited by 73 percent of examined sandalsole shell gorgets (Donaldson and Wortner 1995:76) .......................................... 65
Figure 18: Sandal-sole shell gorget from Richardson Site labeled with "Headdress from
Hardin Co. Mound, John Matson" ...................................................................... 66
Figure 19: Cedar Point burial showing sandal-sole shell gorget on the chest (Lilly
1942:31) ............................................................................................................ 67
Figure 20: Doetsch Site Burial 1 illustration showing location of two sandal-sole shell
gorgets (Young et al. 1961:24) ........................................................................... 68
Figure 21: Hind Site burial 14 showing sandal-sole shell gorget in situ at right elbow
(Donaldson and Wortner 1995:18) ..................................................................... 69
Figure 22: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Zimmerman Site, Hardin Co. OH;
OHS-A3738/1.9 ................................................................................................. 73
Figure 23: Geometric design (made with three closely incised lines) on engraved sandalsole shell gorget from the Zimmerman Site, Hardin Co. OH; OHS-A3738/1.9
(Galitza 1958c:102)............................................................................................ 73
Figure 24: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from northern Ohio (Moorehead 1910:124)
.......................................................................................................................... 74
Figure 25: Drawing of detail engraving on sandal-sole shell gorget from northern Ohio
(Converse 1979:43) ............................................................................................ 74
Figure 26: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from Erie County, OH; OHS-806/37.2 ..... 75
iv
Figure 27: Drawing of engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Meredith-Goodall Site,
Ontario (Donaldson and Wortner 1995:76) ......................................................... 76
Figure 28: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Mulen Kame, Randolph County,
IN; OHS-A60/265.1 ........................................................................................... 77
Figure 29: Close-up of geometric design on sandal-sole shell gorget from the Mulen
Kame, Randolph County, IN; OHS-A60/265.1 ................................................... 77
Figure 30: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Mulen Kame, Randolph County,
IN; OHS-A60/265.3 ........................................................................................... 78
Figure 31: Drawing of detailed engraving on sandal-sole shell gorget from the Mulen
Kame, Randolph County, IN (Converse 1979:39) .............................................. 79
Figure 32: Cox Mound Gorgets showing the looped square design element (Buchner
1998:1) .............................................................................................................. 79
Figure 33: Drawing of detailed engraving on the Bravard Gorget from the Fox or
Rammel Site, Mercer County, OH (Bravard and Converse 1973:6) .................... 81
Figure 34: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget (Bravard Gorget) from the Fox or Rammel
Site, Mercer County, OH (Converse 1979:38) .................................................... 80
Figure 35: Deconstructed drawing of detailed engraving on the Bravard Gorget from the
Fox or Rammel Site, Mercer County, OH (Bravard and Converse 1973:6) ......... 81
Figure 37: Close-up of engraving on sandal-sole shell gorget from the Rammel or Fox
Site, Mercer County, Ohio; FRSM-010 .............................................................. 82
Figure 36: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Rammel or Fox Site, Mercer
County, Ohio; FRSM-010 .................................................................................. 82
Figure 38: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Spitzer Site, Hardin Co., OH;
OHS-A109/3 (Converse 1979:46) ...................................................................... 84
Figure 39: Reconstructed engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Spitzer Site, Hardin
County, OH; OHS-A109/3 (Ohio Historical Society) ......................................... 84
Figure 41: Close-up of engraving on sandal-sole shell gorget from Dublin Township,
Mercer County, OH; OHS-1956/10 .................................................................... 85
Figure 40: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from Dublin Township, Mercer County,
OH; OHS-1956/10 ............................................................................................. 85
Figure 42: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Rockford Kame, Mercer Co., OH
(Converse 1979:44) ............................................................................................ 86
Figure 43: Chief Wets It, Assiniboin (Stony) (Smithsonian National Museum of the
American Indian 2009: Catalog Number P28467) .............................................. 95
Figure 44: Cloud Man, Assiniboin (Stony) (Smithsonian National Museum of the
American Indian 2009: Catalog Number P27519) .............................................. 95
Figure 45: Busycon perversum (Frank and Lee 1998:1) ................................................. 97
Figure 46: Busycon perversum terminology – interior view (Hall 1981:44) .................... 98
Figure 47: Busycon perversum terminology - exterior view (Hall 1981:44) .................... 98
Figure 48: Steps in making sandal-sole shell gorgets (Ohio Historical Society 2008) ..... 99
Figure 49: Demonstration of stone drill that may have been used to drill shell perforations
(The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site)........................................................ 100
Figure 50: Demonstration of bow drill used for drill testing in Spondylus shell (Barton et
al. 2009:6) ........................................................................................................ 100
Figure 51: Sandal-sole shell gorget preform from Zimmerman Site ............................. 101
v
Figure 52: Sandal-sole shell gorget preform from Zimmerman Site (concave); COL1-006
........................................................................................................................ 101
Figure 53: Example of broken sandal-sole shell gorget with repair holes from the Picton
Site, Ontario (Cunningham 1948:Plate V) ........................................................ 103
Figure 54: Four-holed shell gorget from Watt's Cave, Christian County, Kentucky near
the Tennessee line (Converse 1979:28) ............................................................ 106
Figure 55: Three-holed shell gorget from the Ernest Witte Site (41AU36) in Allen's
Creek, Texas (Hall 1981:195) .......................................................................... 106
Figure 56: A model for regional band interaction c. 1000 B.C., showing material source
locations and major regional band configurations (Stothers and Abel 1993:84) 110
Figure 57: Fort Recovery Banking Company (ca. 1930-1940) with sandal-sole shell
gorgets and other Glacial Kame artifacts on display ......................................... 115
Figure 58: Close-up of sandal-sole shell gorgets (top shelf) in Fort Recovery Banking
Company display case ...................................................................................... 115
Figure 59: The three stars in the constellation Orion's sword ........................................ 121
Figure 60: String through photo of sandal-sole shell gorget showing cord configuration
that could cause hole-wear pattern 1; COL2-208 Concave ................................ 124
Figure 61: Little Squint Eye, San Carlos Apache, showing attachment of circular gorget
suspended from the collar (Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
2009: Catalog Number P09902) ....................................................................... 130
Figure 62: Mock sandal-sole shell gorget with bead attachment below 3rd hole ........... 130
Figure 63: Current display case with Glacial Kame artifacts and sandal-sole shell gorgets
in Fort Recovery State Museum ....................................................................... 136
Figure 64: Current vertical display case with rifles that will be used for the new Glacial
Kame display ................................................................................................... 137
Figure 65: Mock-up of the proposed Glacial Kame exhibit at the Fort Recovery State
Museum ........................................................................................................... 138
Figure 66: Large Panel # 1 - Glacial Kame and Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets .................. 139
Figure 67: Large Panel # 2 - Local Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets ..................................... 140
Figure 68: Small Panel # 3 - 1880 Smithsonian Report ................................................ 141
Figure 69: Small Panel # 4 - 1949 Ohio Historical Society News ................................. 141
Figure 70: Large Panel # 5 - Bibliography ................................................................... 141
Figure 71: Slate sandal-sole gorget (Converse 1979:69) ............................................... 147
Figure 72: Cannel coal gorget (Galitza 1958b:27) ........................................................ 147
vi
List of Tables
Table 1: Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Discovery Inventory ............................................................ 28
Table 2: Known Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Locations ................................................................ 30
Table 3: Possible Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Sites (Unsubstantiated) .......................................... 31
Table 4: List of 12 Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets at Fort Recovery State Museum (FRSM) ............ 34
Table 5: List of 11 Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets from three private collections ............................. 35
Table 6: List of 27 Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets at Ohio Historical Society (OHS) ....................... 37
Table 7: List of 2 Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets at Indiana State Museum (INSM) ......................... 38
Table 8: List of 7 Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets at University of Michigan (UMMA)..................... 38
Table 9: Known Glacial Kame Sites represented by sandal-sole shell gorgets used for detailed
analysis.......................................................................................................................... 39
Table 10: Sample Measurement Data gathered from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis ........... 43
Table 11: Sample Hole Wear Data gathered from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis ............... 46
Table 12: Measurement Data gathered from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis ........................ 53
Table 13: Ratios from Measurement Data from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis................... 56
Table 14: ANOVA Single-Factor P-Value Results from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis ..... 58
Table 15: Other Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Dimensions .............................................................. 59
Table 16: Hole Wear Data gathered from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis ............................ 61
Table 17: Contextual Data gathered from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Research ........................... 71
Table 18: Engraved Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets.......................................................................... 72
Chapter One
Introduction and Problem Statement
Introduction
This thesis will focus on a collection of 12 Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorgets
that are part of the collection at the Fort Recovery State Museum, an Ohio Historical
Society Museum in Fort Recovery, Ohio. The Glacial Kame culture was comprised of
Late Archaic people who inhabited what is now northwestern Ohio, parts of neighboring
states, and southern Ontario from 3000 to 500 B.C. The diagnostic features of the Glacial
Kame culture were 1) the use of glacial kames as burial sites and 2) the presence of
sandal-sole shell gorgets and other distinctive artifacts in the burial sites (Converse 1978,
1979). A glacial kame is a gravel and sand deposit (sometimes very large) formed as the
glaciers slowly receded in prehistoric times. Sandal-sole gorgets are named because they
are shaped like the sole of a sandal or shoe but when observed with burials, they were
said to be found in the head and chest area (Cunningham 1948). According to Nancy
Knapke, the director of the Fort Recovery State Museum, at least part of their collection
of sandal-sole shell gorgets is said to have been found years ago in a “mound” outside of
town, which most likely was a Glacial Kame burial site.
2
Problem Statement
Research will center on four questions that are important to the local museum and
their future work displaying these Glacial Kame sandal-sole gorgets. These questions are
also very important on a state and regional level in helping us to understand the
prehistory of the area. The questions to be addressed follow:

How were Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorgets made?

What was the purpose of Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorgets?

What was the distribution pattern within the Midwest of Glacial Kame sandalsole shell gorgets?

How can we best interpret and portray the story of Glacial Kame sandal-sole
shell gorgets to the public?
Sandal-sole shell gorgets are quite rare and, as such, very little detailed research
has been done on this particular type of artifact. For this reason, the answers to the
questions above are not readily available. The sandal-sole shell gorget collection in the
museum catches the interest of serious collectors and visitors alike because of their
fragile appearance, etchings, often unexplained use, and their general rarity.
Sandal-sole shell gorgets were made from Busycon perversum shells that were
acquired with the Gulf Coast, presumably by trade (Converse 1978). However,
preliminary research finds very little data available on how they were actually
manufactured from these shells. Sandal-sole gorgets will sometimes have quite elaborate
engravings or markings. For example, the Ohio Historical Society (Ohio Historical
Society 2009) has a sandal-sole shell gorget with what appears to be a bear cub engraving
3
and at least one of the Fort Recovery State Museum‟s gorgets has engraved patterns and
markings.
The function of prehistoric Native American gorgets in general and sandal-sole
shell gorgets in particular, is not well understood. It is assumed they were suspended
from the neck or worn on clothing for ornamental purposes, although many are drilled in
a manner that would make this difficult. The actual sandal-sole shape is also intriguing
because most gorgets associated with archaeological contexts are circular, oval, or
rectangular (Brain and Phillips 1996; Converse 1978, 1979; Holmes 1883). It is not clear
if there was a specific purpose for these sandal-sole shell gorgets. Further research is
needed to understand how sandal-sole shell gorgets were used and the probable purpose
for the gorgets in this collection.
The lack of current research on Glacial Kame sandal-sole gorgets is a primary
reason for the selection of this thesis topic. The Fort Recovery State Museum knows that
they have a rare and scientifically valuable collection but have very little research or
background knowledge of these artifacts. The museum hopes to discover and tell the
story of these gorgets, and they are eager to have these items analyzed in order to present
these findings to the public in a new exhibit. Having more answers to the four previously
mentioned questions will be valuable to not only the Fort Recovery State Museum and
their visitors, but to other museums and collectors with sandal-sole shell gorgets in their
collections, as well as contributing to our understanding of Midwestern prehistory.
Chapter Two
Background
General Literature Review
The current literature available on sandal-sole shell gorgets can be categorized to
support the four research questions that form the core of this thesis. In addition, literature
detailing Glacial Kame culture and similar regional cultures during the same time period
will be used to form a background and foundation. Compiling and collating this material
was an arduous task as there only two definitive works on Glacial Kame. Other
information came from multiple journal articles (including numerous non-peer reviewed
journal articles), regional and state archaeological overviews, various museum records
and notes, and from both written and verbal collector accounts.
Wilbur Cunningham‟s (1948) book A Study of the Glacial Kame Culture in
Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana was the first summary of Glacial Kame sites and related
artifacts. Cunningham‟s book also included an appendix by Griffin (1948) interpreting
the Glacial Kame culture. It was followed by Robert Converse‟s 1979 book The Glacial
Kame Indians, which gives an excellent overview of the Glacial Kame culture in Ohio.
Both of these books served as the foundation of the research for this thesis. Both
Cunningham‟s and Converse‟s works have several reviews available (Carter 1949;
Murphy 1960; Strischek 2004), and these reviews have been helpful with their
5
comparison and use of other Glacial Kame reference material. Other general background
materials include Converse (2003), Ellis et al. (1990), Fitting (1975), Jones and Johnson
(2008), Kellar (1983), Kidd (1952), Lepper (2005), Mason (1981), Quimby (1952, 1960),
Ritchie (1969), Robertson et al. (1999), Spence and Fox (1986), and Vastano (2009).
The Glacial Kame burial complex is very similar to that of the Red Ocher
(Wisconsin, northern Illinois, northern Indiana, southern Michigan) and Old Copper
(Wisconsin) cultures. Red Ocher and Old Copper works by Byers (1999), Ritzenthaler
and Quimby (1962), and Wittry and Ritzenthaler (1956) were also used for background
cultural material. Because burial patterns and grave goods are similar for the Red Ocher
and Glacial Kame cultures (Hall 1983; Strischek 2004), special attention was paid to the
Red Ocher culture and its interaction with the Glacial Kame peoples. Hall‟s “A PanContinental Perspective on Red Ocher and Glacial Kame Ceremonialism” (1983) was
very valuable in this area. Converse (1979) and Dragoo‟s Mounds for the Dead (1963)
also make burial cult connections between Glacial Kame and Red Ocher, Old Copper and
additionally the Meadowood complexes. Several reviews of these Red Ocher, Old
Copper, and Meadowood works are also available (Jelks 1958; McGregor 1963). Red
Ocher and Glacial Kame are normally distinguished spatially and by the presence of shell
gorgets (indicative of Glacial Kame) or the presence of turkey-tail blades and other large
caches of points (signifying Red Ocher).
Resources for general theoretical background include Brown (1977), Dragoo
(1976), Griffin (1959), Kehoe and Kehoe (1973), Phillips and Willey (1953), Renfrew
and Bahn (1996), and Stoltman et al. (1978). Other background information consulted
included Echo-Hawk (2000), Mason (1962), Moorehead (1929), Trigger (1983), and
6
Tuck (1978). In general, earlier resources (Dragoo 1963; Moorehead 1909, 1929;
Quimby 1952; Shetrone 1920) present Glacial Kame as a distinct and separate culture (as
opposed to Red Ocher, for example) identified by sometimes lengthy trait lists, while
more recent resources (Donaldson and Wortner 1995; Stothers and Abel 1993; Stothers et
al. 2001) treat Glacial Kame as one of many regional burial complexes with slightly
different regional cultural manifestations. This general literature review not only
provided contextual information and a foundation for this thesis, but also provided a
chronology of how the theoretical framework supporting Late Archaic burial complexes,
including Glacial Kame, has developed and evolved over the past 100 years. This proved
very helpful in understanding the thought processes of various Glacial Kame researchers
and archaeologists working at different times.
Research Question 1: Manufacture
The manufacture of sandal-sole shell gorgets is touched upon in several resources.
It is known that the sandal-sole shell gorget is made from univalve conch shells (whole or
pieces) from the Gulf of Mexico with many suggesting that species associated with the
Busycon genus was used (Converse 1979; Cunningham 1948). Other details regarding
manufacture were found in several journal articles and presentations (Donaldson and
Wortner 1995; Holmes 1883; Ritchie 1949; Vastano 2009; Wintemberg 1928) that are
also listed as resources in the Distribution section of this literature review. Most helpful
in understanding the manufacture of sandal-sole shell gorgets and other shell ornaments
was on-line information from the University of Texas at Austin (Dreiss 2001) and data
gathered from Grant Hall‟s research at the Ernest Witte site in Allen‟s Creek, Texas (Hall
1981). Although the Ernest Witte site is outside the core Midwest Glacial Kame area, the
7
shell artifacts were strikingly similar to sandal-sole shell gorgets and much detail was
provided on possible manufacturing techniques. Dreiss (2001) and Hall (1981) also
present detailed figures on Busycon terminology and pinpoint the exact portions of the
shell used for sandal-sole shell gorgets. Holmes (1883) and Ritchie (1949) both address
the grinding and shaping of the shells and the drilling of the perforations. Vastano (2009)
proposes a sawing technique for sandal-sole shell gorget manufacture, based on a gorget
preform found at the Zimmerman Site in Ohio.
It became apparent from the literature review that the reworking of sandal-sole
shell gorgets was important, and both Donaldson and Wortner (1995) and Ritchie (1949)
address the standardization of repair and reworking of sandal-sole shell gorgets at several
sites. Both resources give details on identification of reworked sandal-sole shell gorgets
that could be important for future research and re-analysis of Glacial Kame assemblages.
Various ethnographic accounts (Adair 1775; Lawson 1714) provided information
on the effort needed to create shell ornament and beads and gave detailed accounts of
shell manufacturing methods and tools. The Ohio Historical Society also had
information and previously used museum interpretive panels that explained the
manufacture of sandal-sole shell gorgets using lithic tools. A museum exhibit at The
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site demonstrated the drilling of holes or perforations
into lithic materials using lithic materials. A similar method could have been used as the
same technique for drilling the three holes of the sandal-sole shell gorgets. This is also
supported by Barton et al. (2009) who used experimental archaeology to show that chert
was by far the most efficient drill bit (as compared to wood, shell, or copper) when
drilling perforations into Spondylus shell.
8
Research Question 2: Use
This research question has the most literature available to support gorget use in
general and perhaps the most differing opinions. Use of prehistoric shell in general was
addressed by Holmes (1883) and Wintemberg (1908). Possible use of sandal-sole shell
gorgets was discussed by Converse (1979, 2003), Cunningham (1948), and Donaldson
and Wortner (1995). Many other papers and journal articles discuss and give differing
opinions on possible use of sandal-sole shell gorgets including Hoff and Hoff (2007,
2008), Ritchie (1955), Sciulli and Schuck (2001), Vastano (2009) and others sources
listed in the Distribution section of this Literature Review.
The most common idea regarding the function of sandal-sole shell gorgets is use
as a pendant or gorget based on hole wear in small sample sizes. However, several
researchers believe the context within burials indicates that it was worn on the head or
hair, and still others believe the sandal-sole shell gorget may have had mimicked the
proposed functions of sandal-sole gorgets made from slate, which are discussed in the
paragraph below. As an extreme example of conflicting views of possible use, Hall
(1983) cites previous research that examines the holes drilled in sandal-sole gorgets for
signs of wear. However, he discounts the wear use as insignificant and instead draws
parallels between the alignments of the three drill holes with the constellation Orion
suggesting a ceremonial use based on cosmology. He also makes a connection between
Red Ocher and Glacial Kame ceremonialism and draw parallels between the two
cultures‟ use of material and their distribution system.
There are various types of stone gorgets from Glacial Kame and the Late Archaic
with similar form to sandal-sole shell gorgets. The literature was reviewed for possible
9
clues regarding use, as perhaps sandal-sole shell gorgets performed the same function as
these stone gorgets (Bowen 1976; Curren 1977; Peets 1965; Starna 1979). Other
supporting material for stone gorget function included Brooks (1992), Converse (1978),
Ellis (2002), Fowke (1896), and Robertson (1878). Possible function of stone gorgets
based on these sources include use as an ornamental gorget strung around the neck, badge
of authority, wrist protector, cord sizer, or cord twister.
Ethnographic accounts of shell usage have been found and reviewed including
Adair (1775), Brickell (1737), Lawson (1714), Robertson (1878), Skinner (1912), and
Thomas (1891). Also reviewed was the photograph collection of the Smithsonian
National Museum of the American Indian (2009). These historical documents discussing
and displaying the use of various shell ornaments provided ideas on how sandal-sole shell
gorgets could have been used hundreds of years earlier. Several ethnographic accounts
described shell gorgets being engraved and worn on the chest or attached with a button to
clothing. Historic photographs (Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
2009) supported these accounts and also provided additional ways in which shell
ornaments were worn such as directly on the throat, suspended from cord attached to a
choker or second cord around the neck, or suspended in multiples from clothing. These
accounts and photographs were easily re-interpreted for feasible sandal-sole shell gorget
usage and provided extra evidence to support results from the hole-wear analysis.
Hall (1983) and Brown (1997) specifically discuss the ceremonial aspects of the
Glacial Kame culture. There were also numerous journal articles that reviewed more
specific aspects of Glacial Kame symbolism and ceremonialism. Glacial Kame animal
masks and headdresses and their associated ceremonialism was reviewed in the Ohio
10
Archaeologist (Baby 1961; Converse 2001; Galitza 1970). Symbolism and
ceremonialism inherent in sandal-sole shell gorgets and other Glacial Kame artifacts were
also addressed in the Ohio Archaeologist, the Ontario Archaeologist, and other
publications (Carr and Case 2005; Converse 1976, 1997a, 2003; Donaldson and Wortner
1995; Ellis et al. 1990; Holzapfel 2006; Ritchie 1955; Robertson et al. 1999). These
articles focus on and interpret the animal symbolism inherent in various Glacial Kame
artifacts that also can be seen on the rare engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets.
Research Question 3: Distribution
Sandal-sole shell gorgets have been found in glacial kames in northwestern Ohio,
northern Indiana, northern Illinois, southern Michigan, southern Wisconsin, and southern
Ontario. The Glacial Kame burial complex itself is found in the same area – with the
presence of sandal-sole shell gorgets as the prime diagnostic of the Glacial Kame culture
(Converse 1979).
It has already been noted that Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorgets were made
from conch shells from the Gulf of Mexico. How were the conch shells transported from
the Gulf of Mexico to Ohio and other parts of the Midwest? Were the conch shells really
transported or were the sandal-sole gorgets made close to the shell source and the gorgets
themselves transported? What does the distribution pattern tell us about the trade and/or
manufacture routes from the Gulf of Mexico to the Midwest?
In addition to Cunningham (1948) and Converse (1979), information concerning
regional (Midwest) distribution of sandal-sole shell gorgets was gathered from many
different sources. Professional site reports of Glacial Kame discoveries and excavations
with sandal-sole shell gorgets were reviewed and included the Doetsch Site in Illinois
11
(Young et al. 1961), the Isle La Motte Site in Vermont (Blakely 1996), the Reigh Site in
Wisconsin (Baerreis et al. 1954; Ritzenthaler 1956), the Hind Site in Ontario (Donaldson
1973; Donaldson and Wortner 1995), the Sartori Site in Ontario (Donaldson and Wortner
1995), the Meredith-Goodall Site in Ontario (Donaldson and Wortner 1995), the
Blackfriar‟s Bridge Site in Ontario (Donaldson and Wortner 1995), the Finlan Site in
Ontario (Donaldson and Wortner 1995), and the Picton Site in Ontario (Donaldson and
Wortner 1995; Ritchie 1949).
General and site specific Glacial Kame information from Ohio was found in
numerous Ohio Archaeologist journal articles (Anonymous 1962, 1963, 1964; Baby
1959; Bravard and Converse 1973; Burr 2008; Converse 1972, 1994, 1997b;
Cunningham 1958; Dougherty 1956; Dunlap 1961; Dunn 1959; Galitza 1957a, 1957b,
1958a, 1958b, 1958c; Galitza and Dunn 1956; Holzapfel 1997; Meuser 1951; Morris
2005; Rummel 2005; Smith 1960; Starr 1958; Stothers 1992; Wachtel 1956). These
articles were invaluable resources for early Glacial Kame sites and the associated
artifacts, including sandal-sole shell gorgets. Articles in the Wisconsin Archaeologist
(Brown 1913; Baerreis et al. 1954; Morse and Morse 1964; Ritzenthaler 1956) and the
Ontario Archaeological Society‟s Arch Notes (Donaldson 1966, 1973) and Ontario
Archaeology (Donaldson and Wortner 1995) also detailed specific Glacial Kame sites
and artifacts in those regional areas. Articles in other miscellaneous journals or
publications that provided Glacial Kame site and sandal-sole shell gorget information
include Abel et al. (2001), Anonymous (1977), Bravard (1973), Fowler (2004a, 2004b,
2004c), Galitza (1968), Lilly (1942), Mason (1897), Moorehead (1902), Pillars (1895),
Prufer (1967, 1989), Ritchie (1949, 1955), Snodgrass (1894), and Vastano (2008). Not
12
only did these articles provide site specific Glacial Kame and sandal-sole shell gorget
information, but they often times included the authors‟ ideas on the use and manufacture
of sandal-sole shell gorgets.
Information and original site notes from the Ohio Historical Society were very
useful as they provided first-hand accounts of early Glacial Kame excavations (Bondley
1956, 1957; Long n.d.; Matson 1856). The on-line collection catalog of the Ohio
Historical Society was also used to review specific provenience and statistics of their
sandal-sole shell gorget collection (Ohio Historical Society 2009). Similar detailed notes
were gathered from the Indiana State Museum and the University of Michigan for their
collections that were a part of this thesis research.
Trade and exchange were explored from both a Midwest and Eastern Woodlands
perspective. Important resources were Brose (1979, 1994), Claasen and Sigmann (1993),
Fitting and Brose (1970), and Patterson (2004). Putty (2008) provided important Late
Archaic lithic trade information that supports possible Glacial Kame exchange networks.
In an effort to understand distribution and exchange from a biological and cultural
point of view, literature from Glacial Kame and Late Archaic biological and osteological
skeletal remain studies was reviewed. This includes mitochondrial DNA analysis
(Friends of America‟s Past 2003; Lepper 2006; Mills 2003) and osteological and
biological studies of Glacial Kame skeletal remains in Ontario (Pfeiffer 1977; Varney and
Pfeiffer 1995), Vermont (Blakely 1996), and Ohio (Barret 2005; Holzapfel 1997;
Schneider and Sciulli 1983; Scuilli et al. 1991; Sciulli et al. 1993; Scuilli et al. 1984;
Sciulli and Heilman 2004; Sciulli and Mahaney 1986; Sciulli and Schneider 1985; Sciulli
and Schuck 2001).
13
Literature from outside the core Glacial Kame area was also reviewed at a high
level in order to understand how shell was used both in other regional locations during
the Late Archaic (Texas, Poverty Point, Indian Knoll) and during other temporal periods
(Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, Adena, Hopewell). This research also provided
insights on shell ornaments with similar form and possible function to sandal-sole shell
gorgets and ideas on possible exchange networks that provided the source of the shell in
the Glacial Kame core area. Southeastern Ceremonial Complex resources included Brain
and Phillips (1996), Claassen and Sigmann (1993), Sullivan (2001), and Thomas (1996).
Other references consulted regarding the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex include
Knight (2006), Knight et al. (2001), and King (2004). Literature exploring the possible
connection between Glacial Kame and Adena and Hopewell includes Converse (1979,
1997a), Lepper (2005, 2006), Mills (2003), Webb and Baby (1957), and others also
previously listed.
Resources used for reviewing shell usage in the Late Archaic in Texas include
Dreiss (2001) and Hall (1981). Poverty Point and Indian Knoll resources include Gibson
(2001), Sassaman and Anderson (1996), Webb (1982), and Webb (1974).
Research Question 4: Public Exhibition
The solution to this issue is dependent on answering the previous research
questions. Because context is supposedly known for the Fort Recovery Museum‟s
collection of sandal-sole gorgets, research was conducted to determine the exact location
of the glacial kame that these sandal-sole gorgets were buried in. As stated previously,
the Fort Recovery State Museum is interested in updating the display on their sandal-sole
shell gorgets. The information from this thesis will form the core of the sandal-sole
14
gorget display content. Additional research was done to see if there are other museums
with sandal-sole shell gorgets or prehistoric collections that are exhibiting their
collections in interesting ways.
Literature making specific reference to the provenience of the 12 sandal-sole shell
gorgets found in the Fort Recovery State Museum collection and the two local Glacial
Kame sites include works by Converse (1979, 2003) and Cunningham (1948), and
journal articles, book chapters and presentations (Bravard and Converse 1973; Galitza
1968; Holmes 1883; Longley 1949; Mason 1881; Moorehead 1900; Pillars 1895; Vastano
2009). This literature helped construct the story of these local sandal-sole shell gorgets.
From a personal standpoint, this is the most important research question to
address because of its application to the museum exhibit. Researching the three previous
research questions will form the foundation for the exploration and analysis of this
important public outreach. In addition to the more academic pursuits of this thesis, a
practical application of this research will be used by the Fort Recovery State Museum,
which is affiliated with the Ohio Historical Society. It was noted that the Fort Recovery
Museum and Relic Room was opened on May 1, 1949, and “of special value is a
collection of sandal-shaped gorgets, said to be the largest in the world” (Longley
1949:351). Assuming this statement is true, it is significant to the archaeology
community and the public to exhibit and convey the story of these Glacial Kame sandalsole gorgets in the most informed and archaeologically correct way possible.
15
Late Archaic Overview
The Late Archaic period in what is now northwestern Ohio, northeastern Indiana,
southern Michigan, and southern Ontario (covering the majority of known Glacial Kame
sites) is defined temporally as 3000 – 1000 B.C. The beginning of the Late Archaic in
this geographic area was characterized by a change in climate that generally corresponds
to our modern climate and natural environment. This climate change included increased
and more frequent rainfall which created mixed forest conditions supplying nuts and
berries. Excess nuts and wild plants were gathered and stored in pit features. The ability
to store excess food supported a population increase that is apparent from the Middle
Archaic. Horticulture commenced with the planting and cultivating of wild seeds and
plants and became the basis for later agrarian societies. Hunting, fishing, and
horticulture activities continued to be collective efforts and seasonal with planned
movement to take advantage of each season‟s and location‟s resources (Converse 1979,
2003; Dragoo 1963; Griffin 1967; Indian Country Wisconsin 2008; Kellar 1983; Lepper
2005; Taylor 1999).
The Late Archaic tool set included ground stone axes, adzes, celts, and pestles;
chipped lithic points, knives, and scrapers; and bone and antler tools, hooks, and handles.
The introduction of the atlatl or wooden spear thrower increased hunting range and
efficiency. Several Late Archaic artifacts may be directly related to the atlatl, including
stemmed projectile points and bannerstones (hypothesized to be atlatl weights). Nonutilitarian artifacts include slate birdstones and tubular pipes, shell gorgets and beads, and
copper beads and ornaments (Converse 1979, 2003; Dragoo 1963; Griffin 1967; Indian
Country Wisconsin 2008; Kellar 1983; Lepper 2005; Taylor 1999).
16
Greater rainfall also meant that rivers became a major and dependable source of
transportation. This may have led to the vastly increased trade and exchange present in
the Late Archaic. Evidence of widespread Late Archaic trade networks in what is now
the Midwest includes artifacts manufactured from copper originating from the Upper
Great Lakes region, shell from the Gulf Coast, chert from Indiana, and galena from
Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Increased trade obviously meant increased interaction
with people from these outside regions and territories (Converse 1979, 2003; Dragoo
1963; Griffin 1967; Indian Country Wisconsin 2008; Kellar 1983; Lepper 2005; Taylor
1999).
Perhaps in response to both an increase in population and a correlating increase in
sedentism, various regional burial practices began and thrived during the Late Archaic,
including Glacial Kame, Red Ocher, Old Copper, and Meadowood. Per Dragoo,
“Archaic people accorded special treatment to their dead as early as 3000 BC” (Dragoo
1976:16). Common to all of these burial complexes were flexed or partially cremated
burials, the use of red ocher, inclusion of various grave goods, and multiple interment in a
location. Often the distinguishing factor between regional burial customs was a unique
set of grave goods, which many times contained evidence of ceremonialism and
symbolism via engravings and inclusion of specific artifacts (Converse 1979, 2003;
Dragoo 1963; Griffin 1967; Indian Country Wisconsin 2008; Kellar 1983; Lepper 2005;
Taylor 1999).
17
Glacial Kame Overview
Glacial Kame is a Late Archaic regional burial complex found mainly in
northwestern Ohio, parts of neighboring states and southern Ontario. People
participating in Glacial Kame burial practices used naturally formed glacial kames or
hills of gravel deposited by receding glaciers to bury their dead. Glacial Kame sites
contain both cremated and flexed burials often accompanied by red ocher. It is theorized
that the Glacial Kame burial ceremonialism could be similar to the Huron Feast of the
Dead where regional burials took place at multi-year intervals (Quimby 1960). Based on
the positioning of burials and absolute dating, Glacial Kame cemeteries appear to be used
repeatedly over time (Abel et al. 2001; Ritchie 1949) and most likely represent relatively
small bands of people (Spence and Fox 1986). Grave goods found in Glacial Kame
burials include copper artifacts and beads; slate bannerstones, gorgets, and birdstones;
and shell beads and gorgets, and relatively few points mostly of the Hind corner-notched
series (Converse 1979; Cunningham 1948; Donaldson and Wortner 1995; Lepper 2005).
Both slate and shell ornaments occasionally exhibit engraving or designs. The most
diagnostic of these grave goods is the sandal-sole shell gorget (Converse 1979:50).
Appearance of a sandal-sole shell gorget virtually guarantees a site of being classified as
Glacial Kame, although there is at least one known exception of the Reigh Site in
Wisconsin which is classified as Old Copper (Baerreis et al. 1954; Ritzenthaler and
Quimby 1962).
The idea of a Glacial Kame culture was first discussed by Moorehead in 1909.
Much of the early Glacial Kame literature concentrated on the creation and validity of
Glacial Kame trait lists (Dragoo 1963; Moorehead 1909, 1929; Quimby 1952; Shetrone
18
1920). Although some early literature assigned Glacial Kame to Early or Middle
Woodland (Griffin 1948; Morgan 1952; Quimby 1952; Ritchie 1955), Glacial Kame is
now understood to be part of the Late or Transitional Archaic as supported by
radiocarbon dates at various sites (Converse 2003:112; Mason 1981:193; Pfeiffer
1977:102; Stothers and Abel 1993:28-29).
There are several very similar regional burial complexes (Red Ocher, Old Copper,
and Meadowood) that flourished during the Late and Terminal Archaic. The most similar
of these to Glacial Kame culturally and spatially is Red Ocher. Red Ocher sites are
located in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio. Like Glacial Kame,
this burial complex also contained flexed burials in pits on ridges of gravel, red ocher in
the burials, copper artifacts, and marine shell beads. What sets Red Ocher apart from
Glacial Kame are large ceremonial flint blades, distinctive turkey-tail blades of Indiana
hornstone (Wyandotte chert), and large caches of ovate points (Ritzenthaler and Quimby
1962). Shell gorgets are very rarely found at Red Ocher sites; conversely caches of flint
points are never found at Glacial Kame sites. Both Red Ocher and Glacial Kame people
traveled great distances for the same exotic goods (copper and shell) and occupied the
same general time and space, but for some unknown reason keep at least part of their
unique cultural identity (sandal-sole shell gorget vs. turkey-tail blade) separate
(Converse 1979).
Because of the similarities between Glacial Kame, Red Ocher, Old Copper, and
other regional burial practices and the fact that these cultures are defined almost
exclusively from mortuary sites, some archaeologists argued that these are not cultures at
all but simply “material remains of a burial complex” or part of the same type of cultural
19
activity (Fitting 1970; Griffin 1948; Stothers et al. 2001). It was felt that separate trait
lists for these burial complexes were too vague and general, and did not take into
consideration the identity of the people associated with the artifacts and traits (Brown
1977; Morse and Morse 1964). Brose (1979), Fitting and Brose (1971), and Sciulli and
Mahaney (1986) all proposed that the Late Archaic burial complexes and Early
Woodland Adena were created by the same conditions that supported Hopewellian
exchange in the Middle Woodland. Mason (1981) also supports this argument indicating
that the cultural similarities of the Glacial Kame and other Late Archaic burial complexes
far outweigh the slight artifact differences, and indicate common cultural ancestry and
diffusion of this same cultural identity. The sharing of exotic raw materials by both Red
Ocher and Glacial Kame as mentioned by Converse (1979) are also reiterated by
Donaldson and Wortner as they explain the separate diagnostic artifacts of Red Ocher
and Glacial Kame as “the physical manifestations of overlapping trade networks”
(Donaldson and Wortner 1995:88) and not necessarily separate cultures. They point out
that much of the current Glacial Kame data has been acquired “under less than ideal
conditions” (Donaldson and Wortner 1995:88) and future research will help determine if
Glacial Kame and Red Ocher will remain as separate cultures.
Much recent work has been done on redefining Glacial Kame and other regional
burial complexes by David Stothers and others. These scholars acknowledge a complex
exchange network throughout the Great Lakes region but support the idea of major trade
axes (Stothers et al. 2001). They also propose associated workshop locations that
manufactured items for trade (Stothers and Abel 1993). In addition, they recognize what
they term trade fair centers where Big Men who controlled the economic resources
20
redistributed commodities acquired through the trade network (Abel et al. 2001; Stothers
and Abel 1993). They also believe Glacial Kame, Red Ocher, and Old Copper are
“fallacious archaeological constructs that have neither geographic boundaries nor precise
sociocultural characteristics” (Stothers et al. 2001:261). Their ideas concerning exchange
and distribution will be explored a bit more in the Results chapter of this thesis.
However, for the purpose of this thesis, the idea of a Glacial Kame burial complex, will
be used in understanding the function of sandal-sole shell gorgets.
The hypothesized ease of use of glacial kames as burial mounds in the Late
Archaic has become an archaeological dilemma in modern times. Perhaps for the same
easy and natural accessibility, glacial kames were also a much used source of gravel in
the late 19th and early 20th-century. Almost all early Glacial Kame sites were accidental
discoveries with little or no professional archaeology involvement. Glacial Kame sites
are still being accidentally discovered today as evidenced by recent sites found in
Champaign and Huron counties in Ohio (Converse 1997b; Fowler 2004a, 2004b, 2004c;
Rummel 2005). Site reports are non-existent for the vast majority of Glacial Kame sites
because they were often discovered accidentally and not recorded systematically.
Information was often recorded via personal communication from participants at the time
of the site‟s discovery. The information from well documented and professionally
excavated sites has become invaluable to further understanding Glacial Kame and its
people (Barreis et al. 1954; Donaldson and Wortner 1995; Matson 1856; Ritchie 1949,
1955; Young et al. 1961).
Osteology and dental pathology studies on Glacial Kame remains have been
conducted at various sites in Ohio including Storms Creek in Champaign County
21
(Holzapfel 1997), Kirian-Treglia in Allen County (Sciulli et al. 1993), Muzzy‟s Lake in
Champaign County (Sciulli et al. 1984, 1991), and the Baker II Site in Sandusky County
(Stothers 1992). Skeletal studies have been performed on the skeletal remains from the
Hind and Picton sites in Ontario and the Reigh Site in Wisconsin (Pfeiffer 1977; Varney
and Pfeiffer 1995). These studies show that people participating in the Glacial Kame
burial complex spent much of their time hunting, fishing, and gathering with no evidence
of agriculture. Individuals were of short to medium build with a normal life span into the
mid-thirties. Some populations showed improper bone growth that could suggest
malnutrition, while others showed sufficient nutrition as evidenced by the general size
and robustness of adults. Arthritis and bone injury was evident in these studies.
(Holzapfel 1997; Varney and Pfeiffer 1995). A study of the mortuary treatment and
paleopathology of individuals at the Isle La Motte site in Vermont reported similar results
and indicated a population size well into the hundreds (Blakely 1996). Glacial Kame
populations generally appear to be socially egalitarian, as personal status differences do
not seem to be emphasized (Sciulli et al. 1993), although Isle La Motte did provide
evidence of status differences based on gender and perhaps age (Blakely 1996). It is
important to note that the Isle La Motte site is at the far eastern end of the distribution of
Glacial Kame sites concentrated in northwestern Ohio and spreading eastward across the
northern side of lakes Erie and Ontario. Isle La Motte contained burials with typical
Glacial Kame artifacts, but also had less typical Glacial Kame artifacts such as over 125
lumps of galena and a Meadowood point (Ritchie 1969:132-134) that could indicate
influences from other similar burial complexes.
22
It has long been inferred from similarities in burial ceremonialism, artifact form,
and symbolism that Glacial Kame and other regional burial practices in Ohio were most
likely predecessors to Adena (circa 800 BC to AD 1) and Hopewell (circa 100 BC to 550
AD) (Converse 1997a; Dragoo 1963, 1976; Lepper 2006; Ritchie 1955). This hypothesis
has been recently confirmed in various mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) (Lepper 2006;
Mills 2003) and biological variation affinity studies in Ohio (Sciulli and Mahaney 1986)
that demonstrate that people of the Hopewell culture descended from people of the
Adena culture who then descended from Late Archaic cultures, including Glacial Kame.
These biological variation and affinity studies also support the idea that Glacial Kame
populations were related and interacted on a cultural and ceremonial level (Sciulli et al.
1984, 1993). Relatedness among Glacial Kame and other terminal Late Archaic
populations in Ohio has been shown, with degree of relatedness determined by proximity
(Sciulli and Schneider 1985).
Although there is no current and comprehensive Glacial Kame site list available
since Converse (1979), there are hundreds of documented or suspected Glacial Kame
burial sites with the vast majority reported in Ohio. See Figure 1 through Figure 5 for the
various Glacial Kame site distributions as cited in the past hundred years of literature
(Converse 1979; Cunningham 1948; Donaldson and Wortner 1995; Dragoo 1963; Mason
1897).
23
Figure 1: First account of Glacial Kame burials in Ohio (Mason
1897:347)
Figure 2: Map of Glacial Kame sites (Cunningham 1948:36)
24
Figure 3: Late Archaic and Early Woodland manifestations (including Red Ocher) in the
Great Lakes and Ohio Valley regions (Dragoo 1963: 235)
Figure 4: Map of the "nuclear Glacial Kame area with sites known
to be or suspected of being Glacial Kame" (Converse 1979:9)
25
Based on these maps and a review of the recent literature, known or suspected
Glacial Kame sites can be estimated at several hundred in Ohio, twenty or less each in
Indiana and southern Ontario, and five or less in eastern Illinois, southern Wisconsin,
southern
Michigan,
andGlacial
Vermont.
Figure
5: Map
of major
Kame sites (Donaldson and Wortner 1995:7)
Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Overview
As mentioned earlier, the sandal-sole shell gorget (Figure 6) is the defining
artifact of the Glacial Kame burial complex. This particular form of shell ornament is
unique to the Late Archaic and although there are similar shell ornaments in other regions
of the country, the concentration of sandal-sole shell gorgets in the Glacial Kame burial
complex make it a very important cultural marker for the Midwest Late Archaic.
26
Figure 6: Classic example of Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorget (concave side
facing up)
Figure 7: Approximate profile of sandal-sole shell gorget (adapted from Hall
1981:199)
The sandal-sole shell gorget is made from Busycon perversum shell from the Gulf
Coast (Converse 1979). As seen in Figure 6 above, the classic sandal-sole shell gorget
has three holes (also referred to as perforations) in alignment down the center of the
piece, with one hole about midway (length-wise) and two holes near the widest end of the
gorget. Sandal-sole shell gorgets range in length from 13 to 24 centimeters and in width
from five to ten centimeters at the widest point of the gorget. Typical thickness is 0.3 to
0.6 centimeters. Because they are cut along the length of the shell, they take on the
curvature and contour of the shell as seen in profile in Figure 7 above. Approximately
ten percent of the known sandal-sole shell gorgets are engraved (Bravard and Converse
1973).
27
“The most unsatisfactory artifact names are those which imply some definite but
essentially imaginary function” (Peets 1965:113). Such is the fate of the sandal-sole shell
gorget. Not only is its name plagued by supposed function (gorget) that may or may not
be totally correct, but it is also hindered by its initially described shape (sandal-sole)
which also confusingly implies incorrect function to those unfamiliar with these types of
shell artifacts. The first description of this unique type of shell gorget is in Matson‟s
excavation of the Richardson Site in Hardin County “on the head…. was a conch shell
plate resembling in shape the sole of a moccasin” (Matson 1856:5). In another early
report, the writer describes the artifacts as “about ten pairs of the shell sandals of different
sizes, and made to fit the right and left feet” (Holmes 1883:265). As Fowke (1896) and
Smith (1961) point out, because the sandal-sole shell gorget is pierced with multiple
holes and the holes show wear, it by default became a gorget, with implications that it
was worn around the neck or throat.
Although the sandal-sole shell gorget is a common diagnostic of artifacts for
Glacial Kame burial sites, there are many identified Glacial Kame sites without a sandalsole shell gorget. There also have been very few, if not just one, documented cases
where a sandal-sole shell gorget has been found at a site which would not be typically
classified as Glacial Kame (Converse 1979:16). The Reigh Site in Winnebago County,
Wisconsin has been categorized as part of the Old Copper Culture which falls into the
same Late Archaic time period as the Glacial Kame burial complex. A sandal-sole shell
gorget was professionally excavated from a burial there in 1953 (Baerreis et al. 1954).
It has been stated that only approximately 100 sandal-sole shell gorgets are known
to exist (Converse 1978; Cunningham 1948:37). Sandal-sole shell gorgets have been
28
found in six states and southern Ontario with the bulk found in northwestern Ohio. This
is almost a perfect subset of the Glacial Kame area as defined by Cunningham (1948) and
then further detailed and expanded by Converse (1979) and Donaldson and Wortner
(1995) as shown in Figure 2 through Figure 5 in the previous section. Table 1 below
shows the sandal-sole shell gorget discovery inventory as compiled via a detailed
literature search and personal museum visits. The table is sorted by state, county, and
site. The number (#) of sandal-sole shell gorgets discovered at the site is listed with the
number of sandal-sole gorgets analyzed as part of this thesis shown in parentheses. The
discovery date (Disc. Date) is listed with UNK indicating an unknown discovery date.
The earliest known reference is shown along with the current location of the sandal-sole
shell gorget (SSSG Location), if known.
These 106 known sandal-sole shell gorgets (SSSG) represent approximately 41
Glacial Kame sites. Although the total number of discovered Glacial Kame sites is
unknown, it can be safely estimated from the literature that at least 200 Glacial Kame
sites have been discovered. Glacial Kame sites containing sandal-sole shell gorgets then
represent no more than 20 percent (and most likely much less) of the total number of
Glacial Kame sites.
Table 1: Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Discovery Inventory
2
Disc.
Date
1959
Earliest Reference
Young et al. 1961:21
SSSG
Location
ITARP
1
UNK
Cunningham 1948:26
PC
St
IL
County
Lake
IL
Morgan
Site
Doetsch
11L1
Illinois River
#
IL
Schuyler
Dixon
1
1917
Cunningham 1948:26
UNK
IN
Allen
“gravel pit”
2
UNK
Cunningham 1948:24
NMAI
IN
Dearborn
Dearborn
1
UNK
Converse 1979:138
UNK
29
Table 1: Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Discovery Inventory
St
IN
County
Kosciusko
IN
Hamilton
IN
MI
Randolph
Branch
MI
Kalamazoo
OH
OH
OH
OH
Allen
Allen
Darke
Darke
OH
OH
Erie
Hardin
OH
OH
OH
Hardin
Hardin
Hardin
OH
Hardin
OH
OH
OH
Huron
Logan
Logan
OH
OH
OH
Logan
Mercer
Mercer
Site
Cedar Point
12KO235
Noblesville
#
1
Disc.
Date
1941
2(2) UNK
Mulen
3(3) 1885
Burch
7(7) 1905
20BR1
Harrison
2
1910
20KZ50
Osmon
1
1887
Unknown
1
UNK
AquillaShade
1
UNK
Butler Twp. 2(2) 18501900
Erie County 2(2) UNK
Richardson 3(3) 1856
33HR1
Spitzer
1(1) 1886
Otis Stiner
1
UNK
Will Cruthers
1
1920s
33HR7
Zimmerman
23 1931
33HR2
(18)
Monroeville
4
2004
Bowman
1
1967
Williams
1(1) 1955
33LO25
Middleburg
2
c.1900
Dublin Twp. 1(1) UNK
Fox
?? 1935
Earliest Reference
Lilly 1942:31-33
SSSG
Location
UNK
Indiana State
Museum
Cunningham 1948:23
Cunningham
1948:7,8
Cunningham 1948:10
INSM
Anonymous 1962
Converse 1979:51
Converse 1979:133
Converse 1994
ACHS
ACHS
UNK
PC
Converse 1979:126
Matson 1856
OHS
OHS
Snodgrass 1894:114
Cunningham 1948:19
Converse 1979:130
OHS
OHS
OHS
Cunningham 1948:11
Converse 1979:86
Rummel 2005
Converse 1979
Baby 1959
OHS +
PC
reburial
OHS
PC
Converse 1979
Converse 1979: 136
Cunningham 1948:21
OHS
UM
PC
UNK
OHS
FRSM,
PC
OH Mercer
Rammel
20 PreMason 1881
FRSM,
(13) 1880
Holmes 1883:265
NMAI,
PC
The two sites above are just a mile or so apart and are often referred to as a single
Fox-Rammel Site in the literature. Thus the actual number of sandal-sole shell
gorgets found at the Fox Site are hard to verify.
OH Mercer
Rockford
1
UNK Converse 1979:132
UNK
OH Preble
McKee
1
1970 Anonymous 1977
BOON
OH Putnam
Harman
1
UNK Converse 1979:137
UNK
OH Ross
Morrison
1
1964 Prufer 1967:315
UNK
30
Table 1: Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Discovery Inventory
St
County
OH
OH
VT
WI
Wood
Wyandot
Grand Isle
Winnebago
ON
Essex
ON
Kent
ON
Middlesex
ON
Middlesex
ON
Northumberland
Prince
Edward
Approximate Total 106
ON
Site
#
33RO2
Alexander
1
Reber
1(1)
Isle La Motte
3
Reigh
1
47WN1
Sartori
1
AaHp-35
Meredith1
Goodall
AdHm-49
Blackfriar‟s
1
Bridge
Hind
1
AdHk-1
Finlan
1
BaGK-1
Picton
4
Disc.
Date
Earliest Reference
UNK
1932
1962
1953
Converse 1979:118
Converse 1979:102
Ritchie 1969:132-134
Baerreis et al. 1954:27
UNK
OHS
ILM
WSHS
1974
Donaldson and
Wortner 1995:30
Donaldson and
Wortner 1995:44
UNK
1849
Wintemberg 1908
ROMA
1973
Donaldson 1973:3
UNK
1964
Donaldson and
Wortner (1995:57)
Cunningham 1948:28
Ritchie 1949
PC
1964
1912
SSSG
Location
CKM or
PC
CMC +
RMSC
The SSSG (Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget) Location column in Table 1 above is
decoded as follows in Table 2.
Code
ACHS
BOON
CKM
CLEV
CMC
FRSM
ILM
INSM
ITARP
NMAI
Table 2: Known Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Locations
Institution and Location
Allen County Historical Society Museum, Lima, OH
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Dayton, OH
(formerly Dayton Museum of Natural History)
Chatham-Kent Museum, Chatham, ON
Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, OH
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, QC
Fort Recovery State Museum, Fort Recovery, OH
Isle La Motte Historical Society, Isle La Motte, VT
Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, IN
Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program, University of
Illinois, Urbana, IL
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C.
31
NMO
OHS
PC
RMSC
ROMA
UMMA
UNK
WSHS
Table 2: Known Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Locations
National Museum of Ottawa, Ottawa, QC
Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, OH
Private Collector, Various Locations
Rochester Museum and Science Center, Rochester, NY
Royal Ontario Museum of Archaeology, Toronto, ON
University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology, Ann Arbor, MI
Unknown (most likely Private Collector)
Wisconsin State Historical Society, Madison, WI
There have been several reports of Glacial Kame sites with additional sandal-sole
gorgets that that have not been verified by researchers. These are listed in Table 3 for
reference only. These possible gorgets are not considered as part of the 106 total sandalsole shell gorgets that have been excavated and documented.
Table 3: Possible Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Sites (Unsubstantiated)
Current
Earliest Reference(s) Location
Morse and Morse
UNK
1964:93
Although this shell ornament was described as a “classic shaped 2-hole sandal-sole
gorget”, a photograph of the ornament more closely matches shell bar gorgets as
defined by Converse 1979; no other future reports
St
IL
County
Fulton
Site
Morse
#
1
Disc.
Date
1962
IN
Shelby
Unknown
1 UNK
Kellar 1983:32
Could not find a reference for this in any other literature or site report
IN
Wayne
Unknown
UNK
15- UNK
20
Moorehead 1900:344
UNK
Wintemberg 1928:192
Cunningham 1948:35
The above site was unsubstantiated by Cunningham with no other future reports
OH
Darke
Unknown
2 1856
Matson 1856:7
UNK
The site above most likely represents the same site as Darke Co. – Butler Twp.
OH
Wyandot
Wyandot
1
UNK
Ohio Historical
OHS
Society
The site above most likely represents the same site as Wyandot Co. - Reber
32
Table 3: Possible Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Sites (Unsubstantiated)
Disc.
Date
UNK
St
WI
Current
Location
UNK
County
Site
#
Earliest Reference(s)
Winnebago
Hill of the
1
Brown 1913:62
Dead
By the description given, it appears this shell gorget is very similar to, but not truly a
sandal-sole shell gorget; no other future reports
“somewhere
2 1950
Donaldson and
UNK
near the
Wortner 1995:66
centre of the
county”
“Tom Lee (1952:66) mentions a site in Essex County belonging „to Glacial Kame,
yielding several sandal-sole gorgets‟…. our efforts to obtain more information have
not been met with success” (Donaldson and Wortner 1995:66)
ON
Essex
Chapter Three
Research Methods
In addition to the literature review listed in the previous section, the primary
methods used for this thesis were detailed analysis of both the local sandal-sole shell
gorget collection and other regional sandal-sole gorgets, discussions with others
interested in and researching Glacial Kame culture, various personal museum visits, and
local research to determine provenience and context of the Fort Recovery State
Museum‟s collection of 12 sandal-sole gorgets.
Detailed Gorget Analysis - Sample
To better understand the manufacture and purpose of sandal-sole shell gorgets,
detailed analysis took place on 59 sandal-sole shell gorgets from the Fort Recovery State
Museum (n = 12) , Ohio Historical Society (n =27), Indiana State Museum (n = 2) ,
University of Michigan (n = 7) , and three private collectors (n = 11) . These particular
resources were chosen because of their regional location, research availability, the
number of sandal-sole gorgets available at each location, and the interest of the curator or
private collector in Glacial Kame. The ultimate goal was to gather as much detailed
information as possible on sandal-sole shell gorgets in the most efficient and effective
manner.
34
Accessing the collection at the Fort Recovery State Museum was the easiest to
arrange as I had previously completed an internship to organize and catalog their large
prehistoric collection during the summer of 2008. I coordinated my visits in March 2009
to analyze the sandal-sole shell gorgets with Nancy Knapke, the director of the museum.
The Fort Recovery State Museum has 12 sandal-sole shell gorgets as part of their Glacial
Kame collection (see Table 4). These gorgets were found at one of the two known local
Glacial Kame sites in Mercer County, Ohio, the Fox Site and the Rammel Site.
However, it is not known which specific gorgets were found in which specific site, being
that the sites are less than two miles apart and are often referred to in documentation as a
single site, Fox-Rammel (Converse 1979; Cunningham 1948). Eleven of the gorgets
(FRSM-01 through FRSM-11) were easily accessible for photographs and analysis;
however the twelfth (FRSM-12) was in a permanent display case and could only be
photographed and analyzed through the glass. Although the Fort Recovery State
Museum did not have original documentation regarding these gorgets, information on the
Fox and Rammel Sites and gorgets was found in Bravard and Converse (1973),
Converse (1979), Cunningham (1948, 1958), Holmes (1883), Longley (1949), Mason
(1881), and Pillars (1895).
Table 4: List of 12 Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets at Fort Recovery State Museum
(FRSM)
Identifier
Provenience
FRSM-01
Fox or Rammel Site, Fort Recovery, Mercer County OH
FRSM-02
Fox or Rammel Site, Fort Recovery, Mercer County OH
FRSM-03
Fox or Rammel Site, Fort Recovery, Mercer County OH
FRSM-04
Fox or Rammel Site, Fort Recovery, Mercer County OH
FRSM-05
Fox or Rammel Site, Fort Recovery, Mercer County OH
FRSM-06
Fox or Rammel Site, Fort Recovery, Mercer County OH
FRSM-07
Fox or Rammel Site, Fort Recovery, Mercer County OH
FRSM-08
Fox or Rammel Site, Fort Recovery, Mercer County OH
35
Table 4: List of 12 Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets at Fort Recovery State Museum
(FRSM)
Identifier
Provenience
FRSM-09
Fox or Rammel Site, Fort Recovery, Mercer County OH
FRSM-10
Fox or Rammel Site, Fort Recovery, Mercer County OH
FRSM-11
Fox or Rammel Site, Fort Recovery, Mercer County OH
FRSM-12
Fox or Rammel Site, Fort Recovery, Mercer County OH
The Fort Recovery State Museum has also previously made their collection
available to Brian Vastano of Russia, Ohio, a collector with in-depth knowledge and a
great interest in Glacial Kame. After contacting Vastano, he was more than happy to talk
to me about his sandal-sole shell gorget collection and make it available to me for
analysis. We met at an Archaeology Society of Ohio (ASO) meeting in November 2008
in Columbus, Ohio, where he had his collection and two other private collections
available for my review and analysis. These three private collections totaled 11 sandalsole shell gorgets representing at least four different Glacial Kame sites in Ohio, with a
possible site in Michigan or Wisconsin, and two with unknown provenience (see Table
5). Vastano had quite a bit of documentation on most of these gorgets and shared that
information with me. I made notes of his documentation, original sources, and personal
knowledge of each of these gorgets.
Table 5: List of 11 Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets from three private collections
(COL1, COL2, COL3)
Identifier
Provenience
COL1-001
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
COL1-002
Clifford Williams Site, Logan County OH – 33LO25
COL1-003
Unknown, possible site in Michigan or Wisconsin
COL1-004
Unknown
COL1-005
Unknown
COL1-006
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH– 33HR2
COL1-1378
Fox or Rammel Site, Fort Recovery, Mercer County OH
COL2-208
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
36
Table 5: List of 11 Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets from three private collections
(COL1, COL2, COL3)
Identifier
Provenience
COL3-001
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH– 33HR2
COL3-3065
Butler Township, Darke County OH
COL3-3066
Butler Township, Darke County OH
Four trips were made to the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) and Ohio History
Center in Columbus, Ohio, from September 2008 to January 2009, with my main contact
being Martha Otto, Curator of Archaeology. I initially contacted Otto via email and
submitted my thesis proposal for her review. Because the Fort Recovery State Museum
is affiliated with the Ohio Historical Society, Otto was familiar with Fort Recovery‟s
collection and its significance. My first trip consisted of discussing my thesis proposal
with her, signing OHS‟ research agreement, and reviewing their Glacial Kame collection.
Subsequent trips were made to conduct detailed analysis on their sandal-sole shell
gorgets. OHS has 27 sandal-sole shell gorgets in their collection (see Table 6) and 20 of
these were available for my detailed analysis. Of the seven that were not available, four
were on display at the Ohio History Center, two were off-site at another museum, and
one was being repaired. Six of the seven gorgets physically not available for analysis had
photographs on the OHS‟ Online Collection Catalog (Ohio Historical Society 2009). I
did some cursory analysis using these six pictures and by viewing the four gorgets on
display at the Ohio History Center, leaving only one gorget that I could not view at all.
These 27 OHS gorgets represent at least eight different Glacial Kame sites throughout
Ohio and Indiana. The associated paperwork and field notes for each site were also
reviewed and copies made as needed. Old issues of the Ohio Archaeologist journal also
contained site and provenience information about these sandal-sole shell gorgets and
37
copies were made of the appropriate articles at OHS. Additional information was found
in Converse (1979, 2003), Cunningham (1948), and Lepper (2005) concerning these sites
and gorgets. Specific details about each gorget were also available on the Ohio Historical
Society‟s Online Collection Catalog (Ohio Historical Society 2009).
Table 6: List of 27 Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets at Ohio Historical Society (OHS)
Identifier
OHS-A190/3
OHS-A1956/10
OHS-1956/9
OHS-A3738/1.1
OHS-A3738/1.10
OHS-A3738/1.11
OHS-A3738/1.12
OHS-A3738/1.1Z-4
OHS-A3738/1.2
OHS-A3738/1.3
OHS-A3738/1.4
OHS-A3738/1.5
OHS-A3738/1.6
OHS-A3738/1.7
OHS-A3738/1.8
OHS-A3738/1.9
OHS-A3738/4
OHS-37350/1.1
OHS-37350/1.2
OHS-3750/1.3
OHS-3875/1
OHS-3875/2
OHS-A60/265.1
OHS-A60/265.2
OHS-A60/265.3
OHS-A806/37.1
OHS-A806/37.2
Provenience
Pleasant Township, Hardin County OH
Dublin Township, Mercer County OH
Wyandot County OH
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Richardson Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR1
Richardson Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR1
Richardson Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR1
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County OH – 33HR2
Mulen Burial, Randolph County IN
Mulen Burial, Randolph County IN
Mulen Burial, Randolph County IN
Erie County Kame, Erie County OH
Erie County Kame, Erie County OH
The Indiana State Museum (INSM) has two sandal-sole gorgets (see Table 7) and
analysis of these gorgets was arranged through Michele Greenan, Archaeology and
Natural History Collections Manager, in January 2009. Per INSM‟s catalog
38
documentation, both of these gorgets are from a gravel pit near Noblesville, Indiana.
These two sandal-sole shell gorgets or this site has not been reported in any literature and
very little information was available at INSM. A copy of the Indiana State Museum‟s
catalog documentation was made for my records.
Table 7: List of 2 Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets at Indiana State Museum (INSM)
Identifier
INSM-X1233/1
INSM-X4108/20
Provenience
Noblesville, Hamilton County IN
Noblesville, Hamilton County IN
The University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology (UMMA) has seven
sandal-sole shell gorgets as part of their William Cunningham collection from the Burch
Site (see Table 8). I did not physically analyze these gorgets but had access to high
quality pictures of this collection that I reviewed and analyzed (Vastano, personal
communication, 2008). The Burch Site has been documented in Cunningham (1948) and
Converse (1979). There was also additional information on the UMMA Digital Image
Database (University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology 2009).
Table 8: List of 7 Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets at University of Michigan (UMMA)
Identifier
Provenience
UM-58797
Burch Site, Branch County MI – 20BR1
UM-58805
Burch Site, Branch County MI – 20BR1
UM-58806
Burch Site, Branch County MI – 20BR1
UM-58808
Burch Site, Branch County MI – 20BR1
UM-58809
Burch Site, Branch County MI – 20BR1
UM-58817
Burch Site, Branch County MI – 20BR1
UM-58818
Burch Site, Branch County MI – 20BR1
In total, 52 sandal-sole shell gorgets were physically analyzed with an additional
seven analyzed via high quality digital pictures. A total of 12 or 13 known Glacial Kame
sites and three unknown proveniences are represented by these 59 gorgets (see Table 9).
39
These 12 or 13 known sites cover northwest Ohio, eastern Indiana, and southern
Michigan and are part of the core Glacial Kame area as defined by Converse (1979),
Cunningham (1948), Converse (1979), Donaldson and Wortner (1995), and Dragoo
(1963). This selection of 59 gorgets is an approximate 56 percent sample of the known
106 sandal-sole shell gorgets (Table 1) and represents an approximate 37 percent sample
of the 41 Glacial Kame sites that contained at least one sandal-sole shell gorget.
Table 9: Known Glacial Kame Sites represented by sandal-sole shell gorgets used
for detailed analysis
State
County
Site Information
# SSSG
IN
Hamilton
Noblesville
2
IN
Randolph
Mulen Kame
3
MI
Branch
Burch Site – 20BR1
7
OH
Darke
Butler Township
2
OH
Erie
Erie County Kame
2
OH
Hardin
Pleasant Township
1
OH
Hardin
Richardson Site – 33HR1
3
OH
Hardin
Zimmerman – 33HR2
20
OH
Logan
Clifford Williams – 33LO25
1
OH
Mercer
Dublin Township
1
OH
Mercer
Fort Recovery, either Fox or Rammel Site
13
OH
Wyandot
Unknown
1
MI/WI?? Unknown
Unknown
1
Unknown Unknown
Unknown Provenience
2
Total
59
The map in Figure 8 below shows the approximate location of all Glacial Kame
sites where sandal-sole shell gorgets were found. A filled-in circle notates a site that
contains at least one sandal-sole shell gorget. A hollow circle indicates a site that
contains at least one sandal-sole shell gorget and either part or all of this site‟s sandalsole shell gorget collection was used as part of this thesis research.
40
Figure 8: Location of Glacial Kame sites where sandal-sole shell gorgets were found.
Hollow circles indicate site locations where gorgets were used in this research.
41
Detailed Gorget Analysis – Process
The detailed analysis of the sandal-sole shell gorgets included three steps: taking
standard metrical measurements of each gorget, taking color digital photographs, and
analyzing each gorget under the microscope looking for specific wear patterns and other
characteristics. Each step was documented using several methods. This data, along with
data from past research, was reviewed for any patterns concerning the use, manufacture,
and distribution of sandal-sole shell gorgets.
Standard Measurements
As step one of the detailed analysis, standard measurements were taken (see
Figure 9) for each sandal-sole shell gorget: length of the gorget: width of the gorget
(measured at the widest point); length from the widest end of the gorget to the top of the
first, second, and third holes. The sandal-sole gorgets are of various sizes, so the
measurements of three holes will be used to calculate hole alignment ratios to see if any
patterns emerge. Figure 9 shows the measurements taken for each sandal-sole gorget and
the worksheet used to track the data. Table 10 shows the measurement data that was
gathered. In a few cases, standard measurements could not be taken due to the gorgets
not being available, broken sandal-sole gorgets, or the lack of time with the private
collections.
42
Length
Length from “top” of
gorget (widest end) to
top of first hole
Length from “top” of
gorget (widest end) to
top of second hole
Width at
the widest
point
Length from “top” of
gorget (widest end) to
top of third hole
Figure 9: Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget (SSSG) Data Sheet - Diagram of standard
measurements taken and tracked for each sandal-sole shell gorget
For consistency sake, it is important to understand the nomenclature used when
referring to pictures, measurement data, and hole-wear data. The sandal-sole shell gorget
pictured in Figure 9 is shown with its concave side facing up. It is placed with the widest
end towards the “top” which in almost all cases is the end with two holes. In some old
reports this is called the “toe” end in reference to the sandal-sole or “moccasin” shape.
The smaller end is at the “bottom” or the “heel,” as referred to in old reports. The same
43
alignment was used when analyzing the convex side. The widest end with the two holes
is considered the “top,” and the narrow end is considered the “bottom.” This is not meant
to imply any type of use for the gorget but was simply done for ease and consistency of
record keeping. This positioning was used for all sandal-sole gorgets when configuring
the measurement data. The data was then entered into an Excel 2007 spreadsheet with
sample data shown in Table 10.
Table 10: Sample Measurement Data gathered from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget
Analysis
Top to 1st
Top to 2nd Top to 3rd Length
Width
Identifier
hole (cm)
hole (cm)
(cm)
(cm)
(cm)
1.5
4.1
12
23.5
4.5
COL1-001
The measurement data was further analyzed in Excel 2007 by calculating ratios in
order to accurately compare the hole measurements given the different sandal-sole shell
gorget lengths. To further investigate similarities or differences of sandal-sole shell
gorgets by site, single factor ANOVA P-values (measuring analysis of variance) were
calculated in Excel 2007. The sample for the ANOVA tests was the three sites from
which seven or more sandal-sole shell gorgets were analyzed as part of this thesis.
Digital Photographs
In addition to standard measurements, photographs were taken of each side of the
gorget (Figure 10). For analysis purposes, these pictures were labeled as concave and
convex views based on the way the shell curved. It is normally presented that the
concave side is the “front” of the gorget, but I purposely did not perpetuate what may or
may not have been the original use. These photographs were taken with a Canon
PowerShot S500 Digital Elph 5.0 megapixel digital camera attached to a copy stand with
44
the best lighting that could be arranged at the location. All photographs were taken by
the author with the exception of the University of Michigan Cunningham collection and
several of the Ohio Historical Society gorgets. The Cunningham collection was available
via high quality digital pictures and several of the Ohio Historical Society gorgets were
on display and unavailable for research, so photographs from their web site were used.
Each photograph was taken on a black background with a scale and gorget identification.
See Appendix A for all sandal-sole shell gorget pictures taken by the author.
Figure 10: Digital photograph of typical sandal-sole shell gorget (concave side)
with scale and identification
Microscopic Analysis
The final step of the detailed analysis was reviewing each sandal-sole gorget
under the microscope and looking specifically at hole wear, side wear, and any etchings
or engravings on the gorget. A Bausch & Lomb 0.7x – 3x microscope borrowed from the
Applied Archaeology Laboratories, Ball State University was used for this purpose.
45
Each gorget was analyzed on both the concave side and convex side under the
microscope. Two aspects of hole wear were notated – the amount of hole wear and the
location of the hole-wear.
It quickly became apparent that the hole wear was quite variable and required a
specific description in order to be consistent and provide the needed detail for analysis.
In order to meet that need, the description of the hole wear was coded on the SSSG Data
Sheet as follows:




NW = No Wear
SW = Slight wear, noticeable only with magnification (Figure 11)
W = Noticeable wear, no notching (Figure 12)
HW = Heavy wear, often with notching (Figure 13)
Figure 11: Slight
Wear (SW)
Figure 12: Wear (W)
Figure 13: Heavy
Wear (HW)
The location of the hole wear required the same type of detailed and consistent
description in order to analyze this data effectively. The location of the hole wear was
coded on the SSSG Data Sheet as follows:





B = Bottom of drilled hole
T = Top of drilled hole
L = Left side of drilled hole
R = Right side of drilled hole
Even = Even wear (could be due to wear or hole manufacture)
46
The data from this analysis was marked on the SSSG Data Sheet and then
transferred to an Access database and an Excel spreadsheet. An example of hole wear
data is presented in Table 11 below. This example shows slight wear on the bottom of
the first hole, slight wear on the top of the second hole and no wear on the third hole of
the concave side. And noticeable wear on the top of the first hole, noticeable wear on the
bottom of the second hole and no wear on the third hole of the convex side.
Table 11: Sample Hole Wear Data gathered from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis
Concave
Convex
1st hole
Identifier
2nd hole 3rd hole
1st hole
2nd hole 3rd hole
B-SW
T-SW
NW
T-W
B-W
NW
COL1-001
There are a few sandal-sole shell gorgets that have repair holes that were used to
string two or more pieces of the gorget back together (Figure 14). These repair holes
were not analyzed for wear because of time constraints. There are also a few sandal-sole
shell gorgets that have more than three holes in alignment down the center of the gorget
(Figure 15). The three holes that were the most logically aligned to a “normal” sandalsole shell gorget were used for hole wear analysis.
Figure 14: Sandal-sole shell gorget with repair holes; OHSA3738/1.9
47
Figure 15: Sandal-sole shell gorget with more than 3 holes; FRSM-08
Data Collection
In addition to the hole wear and hole measurement data tracked in the Excel
spreadsheets, all of the data and photographs were transferred into a Microsoft Access
database. See Figure 16 for an example of a typical database record. The database
tracked the following data elements: gorget owner, gorget ID, alternate ID, provenience,
length, width, hole measurements, concave and convex view pictures, engraving data,
hole wear data, edge wear data, other wear data, and additional notes. Microsoft Access
2007 was chosen so that all of the data (including pictures) could be viewed on a single
page or screen for each gorget. All data was easily exported to and imported from
Microsoft Excel 2007 for additional analysis such as measurement averages and standard
deviations. As part of the results section, this information will be compared and analyzed
with the data from existing literature to see if it supports past hypotheses on manufacture,
use, and distribution or if new hypotheses emerge.
48
Figure 16: Sample of sandal-sole shell gorget database record
Glacial Kame Discussions
In addition to the literature review, additional Glacial Kame and sandal-sole shell
gorget knowledge was acquired through personal discussions, conferences, and
presentations. I made initial contact with Vastano, who has shown much interest in the
Fort Recovery State Museum‟s sandal-sole shell gorget collection, when I gave a
presentation on my thesis topic at the Fort Recovery State Museum in May 2008.
Vastano has a great interest in Glacial Kame and sandal-sole shell gorgets and has
personally located 61 sandal-sole shell gorgets. Vastano gave me several tips on the
locations of various gorgets and the availability of general Glacial Kame resources in
nearby libraries and museums. Vastano and I frequently traded emails and information
on sandal-sole shell gorgets.
In May 2008, I attended the Archaeological Society of Ohio‟s Symposium 2008
in Columbus, Ohio where Robert N. Converse (collector and author of numerous Glacial
Kame resources) spoke on the Glacial Kame Culture. Converse‟s presentation gave me
49
several new leads on Glacial Kame sites with sandal-sole shell gorgets and clarified some
of the topics in his books (Converse 1979, 2003). I introduced myself to Converse and
explained my thesis project to him. I also made contact with Tony DeRegnacourt who
presented a historical topic at the conference. DeRegnacourt had done work with the Fort
Recovery State Museum previously, including identifying and organizing the existing
sandal-sole shell gorgets, Glacial Kame and prehistoric exhibits at the museum.
At the invitation of Brian Vastano, I attended the November 2008 Archaeological
Society of Ohio meeting in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to analyzing his and other
personal collections (as discussed previously), I had time for discussion with Vastano and
other collectors. I took notes on site specific information, ideas on manufacture and use,
and contact names of others interested in Glacial Kame or owning sandal-sole shell
gorgets. Vastano and I discussed the hole-wear pattern that seemed prevalent and
brainstormed ideas on how that might have formed. We shared resource and contact
information with each other for future research.
In February 2009, Nancy Knapke (the director of the Fort Recovery State
Museum) and I attended an Archaeological Society of Ohio meeting in Bellefontaine,
Ohio, where Brian Vastano gave an hour-long presentation on the Glacial Kame Culture.
Vastano‟s presentation was very detailed and informative and added even further to my
Glacial Kame understanding. He had details on numerous Glacial Kame sites, including
the Fox and Rammel Sites, which are the provenience of the Fort Recovery State
Museum‟s sandal-sole shell gorget collection. He also presented his ideas on the
symbolism inherent in Glacial Kame artifacts, including sandal-sole shell gorgets. There
50
was a short discussion period after Vastano‟s presentation where others shared their
thoughts and ideas on Glacial Kame (Vastano 2009).
Personal Museum Visits
As stated previously, numerous visits were made to museums with sandal-sole
shell gorgets in their collection. These include multiple visits to the Ohio Historical
Center, Fort Recovery State Museum, and Indiana State Museum for detailed research on
their sandal-sole shell gorgets. Additionally, visits to museums with prehistoric exhibits
and various shell artifacts in their collections also contributed to the general background
of this thesis. These visits included Fort Meigs (March 2008), the Garst Museum (April
2008), the Ohio Historical Center (October 2008), Fort Ancient State Memorial (July
2008), and the Allen County Museum (September 2009) in Ohio, and Cahokia Mounds
State Historic Site (August 2009) and the Center for American Archaeology Museum
(August 2009) in Illinois.
Because the fourth research goal of this thesis is how to best analyze and portray
the story of Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorgets to the public, special attention was
paid to the overall prehistoric exhibits at museums that were visited. I took numerous
pictures of interesting and clever ways that these museums exhibited their prehistoric
artifacts. The visit and tour of the Garst Museum was prior to a grand opening of their
museum redesign, and I talked to their exhibit design team and made contacts with
people who could help with future exhibit work at the Fort Recovery State Museum. Of
particular importance were exhibits that had a local component to them, i.e., the Koster
exhibit at the Center for American Archaeology Museum, the local artifact displays at
Fort Ancient, and multiple fascinating and educational exhibits at Cahokia. I gathered
51
many ideas from these exhibits to use to help tell the story of the sandal-sole shell gorgets
at the Fort Recovery State Museum.
Local Glacial Kame Research
Research was done at the Fort Recovery State Museum and with local amateur
archaeologists to try and piece together the story of the discovery and original location of
these specific sandal-sole gorgets. This information will enhance the story of these
gorgets and will give visitors a sense of context and local flavor. An intensive literature
review included locating all original sources cited in Cunningham (1948) and Converse
(1979), and reviewing all back issues of the Ohio Archaeologist, looking for additional
details regarding the sandal-sole shell gorgets in the Fort Recovery State Museum.
Chapter Four
Analysis and Results
The results from the previously described literature review, research, and detailed
sandal-sole shell gorget analysis can be summarized and grouped so they logically
support this thesis‟ four research questions to be discussed and analyzed in Chapter 5.
The hole measurement results, hole wear results, and information gathered on engraved
sandal-sole shell gorgets will support discussion and analysis of the manufacture and
purpose of sandal-sole shell gorgets. The contextual information results, research on
proposed used and information gathered on symbolism and ceremonialism will also be
used to examine the purpose of sandal-sole shell gorgets. Manufacturing techniques used
in shell ornament creation will be used to hypothesis how sandal-sole shell gorgets were
made. Trade and distribution results will be used in the discussion and analysis of the
distribution pattern within the Midwest of Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorgets.
Finally, data gathered on the two local Glacial Kame sites, the Fox Site and Rammel Site,
will support how we can best portray the story of Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorgets
to the public.
Hole Measurement Results
The measurement data gathered from the sandal-sole shell gorget analysis is
presented in Table 12. In a few cases, measurement data could not be gathered due to
broken sandal-sole shell gorgets or a gorget not fully available because it was on display.
53
The length of the sandal-sole shell gorgets analyzed ranged in length from 13 to 29
centimeters and in width from 5.3 to 9.9 centimeters. The average length and width of
the sandal-sole shell gorgets was 19.43 (sd = 2.60) by 7.08 (sd = 0.89) centimeters and
the hole diameters ranged from 0.3 to 0.5 centimeters with most being in the 0.3 to 0.4
centimeters range. Typical thickness of a sandals sole shell gorget is 0.3 to 0.6
centimeters.
Table 12: Measurement Data gathered from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis
Top to
Top to 1st 2nd hole Top to 3rd
Length
Width
Identifier
hole (cm)
(cm)
(cm)
(cm)
(cm)
COL1-001
1.5
4.1
12.0
23.5
6.7
COL1-002
1.5
4.6
12.2
22.0
8.7
COL1-003
0.7
4.1
11.8
20.0
7.8
COL1-004
0.5
3.7
N/A
17.5
7.2
COL1-005
In too many pieces to accurately measure
COL1-006
Unfinished Preform
COL1-1378
1.5
4.5
11.0
18.5
6.5
COL2-208
Not available for measurement
COL3-001
2.0
4.0
11.0
18.5
7.1
COL3-3065
1.5
4.0
12.0
21.5
7.0
COL3-3066
1.0
3.5
12.0
24.1
7.0
FRSM-01
1.5
4.2
10.5
13.0
5.6
FRSM-02
1.5
3.0
8.0
13.0
5.5
FRSM-03
0.7
3.8
10.3
18.0
6.3
FRSM-04
1.0
2.9
9.2
16.4
5.5
FRSM-05
0.7
4.7
12.9
22.0
7.0
FRSM-06
1.4
3.4
8.4
16.5
7.7
FRSM-07
1.8
4.1
9.3
17.5
6.5
FRSM-08
0.8
2.5
9.7
17.1
6.7
FRSM-09
1.0
4.0
10.7
21.0
7.0
FRSM-10
1.1
4.5
12.0
21.5
6.8
FRSM-11
2.4
5.1
12.3
22.4
7.5
FRSM-12
Not available for measurement
INSM-X1233/1
1.7
4.3
11.5
20.5
7.5
INSM-X4108/20
1.6
4.6
11.8
22.1
7.9
OHS-A190/3
N/A
N/A
N/A
19.0
7.2
54
Table 12: Measurement Data gathered from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis
Top to
Top to 1st 2nd hole Top to 3rd
Length
Width
Identifier
hole (cm)
(cm)
(cm)
(cm)
(cm)
OHS-A1956/10
1.2
4.1
12.4
16.7
8.0
OHS-A1956/9
2.1
4.6
12.2
16.3
6.4
OHS-A3738/1.1
1.8
3.0
8.8
17.8
5.7
OHS-A3738/1.10
1.0
3.4
8.0
19.5
7.2
OHS-A3738/1.11
1.2
4.2
11.3
20.4
6.1
OHS-A3738/1.12
1.7
4.9
10.6
20.0
6.9
OHS-A3738/1.Z-4
1.0
3.1
10.3
16.8
7.4
OHS-A3738/1.2
0.9
4.9
13.0
21.7
7.0
OHS-A3738/1.3
1.0
3.7
11.4
21.1
6.5
OHS-A3738/1.4
0.6
3.3
9.0
19.8
5.3
OHS-A3738/1.5
0.6
3.9
10.7
18.0
7.0
OHS-A3738/1.6
2.9
5.5
13.2
18.8
N/A
OHS-A3738/1.7
1.0
4.5
11.3
N/A
7.4
OHS-A3738/1.8
1.1
4.1
11.4
19.8
6.6
OHS-A3738/1.9
Not available for measurement
OHS-A3738/4
Not available for measurement
OHS-A3750/1.1
2.7
7.0
13.5
24.0
9.9
OHS-A3750/1.2
1.1
2.7
10.1
14.8
7.0
OHS-A3750/1.3
1.3
3.5
11.0
19.2
7.1
OHS-A3875/1
0.9
3.2
11.5
21.4
7.8
OHS-A3875/11
1.0
3.8
11.5
19.2
7.0
OHS-A60/265.1
1.1
3.2
10.5
N/A
7.4
OHS-A60/265.2
Not available for measurement
21.8
8.3
OHS-A60/265.3
0.6
2.0
10.2
19.6
6.6
OHS-A806/37.1
Not available for measurement
7.0
OHS-A806/37.2
1.5
3.9
N/A
N/A
7.0
UM-58797
3.5
5.0
12.0
24.0
9.5
UM-58805
2.3
5.2
12.0
19.5
7.2
UM-58806
1.5
3.7
9.5
19.1
7.4
UM-58808
1.7
3.8
10.4
17.9
7.3
UM-58809
1.8
4.5
11.6
22.5
8.6
UM-58817
0.9
2.5
10.8
18.8
7.3
UM-58818
1.9
4.6
9.7
14.5
6.5
Average
Standard
Deviation
1.39
3.99
10.97
19.31
7.08
0.63
0.87
1.33
2.69
0.89
55
Table 13 shows the ratios calculated from this measurement data. Six ratios were
calculated: the three ratios of the measurements from the top of each hole as compared to
the length of the gorget, the ratio of the width compared to the length, the ratio of the
distance between the first and second holes compared to the distance between the second
and third holes, and the distance between the first and third holes compared to the length.
In some cases ratios were not calculated due to a zero value for one or more
measurements. For each of the six ratios the range (minimum and maximum), mean, and
standard deviation were calculated and are presented at the end of Table 13.
When observing sandal-sole shell gorgets, there seems to be a pattern regarding
hole placement. The hole measurement results confirm statistically what generally can
be seen in individual sandal-sole shell gorgets with casual analysis. On average, the first
hole of a sandal-sole shell gorget is drilled approximately 7 percent of the way down
from the top of the gorget with a standard deviation of 3 percent. The second hole is
located approximately 21 percent from the top of the gorget with a standard deviation of
4 percent. The third hole averages 57 percent from the top of the gorget (often described
as the middle or center), with a bit more variability as indicated by its standard deviation
of 7 percent. On average, the width of a sandal-sole shell gorget is 37 percent of its
length with a standard deviation of 5 percent, meaning that most are about one-third as
wide as they are long. The ratio of the distance between the first and second holes
compared to the distance between the second and third holes produced the most
variability with a mean of 38 percent with an 11 percent standard deviation. Finally, the
ratio of the distance between the first and third hole as compared to the length averaged
50 percent with a 7 percent standard deviation. In general, this data is very consistent and
56
presents very few outliers given the fact that, in a normal distribution, 68 percent of the
sandal-sole shell gorgets would fall within the relatively small standard deviations of
each calculated ratio. This data will be discussed further in Chapter 5: Discussion and
Conclusions.
Table 13: Ratios from Measurement Data from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis
1st-2nd
Top of
Top of
Top of
hole /
1st-3rd
rd
1st hole 2nd hole 3rd hole Width /
2nd-3
hole /
Identifier
/ Length / Length / Length Length
hole
Length
COL1-001
0.06
0.17
0.51
0.29
0.33
0.45
COL1-002
0.07
0.21
0.55
0.40
0.41
0.49
COL1-003
0.04
0.21
0.59
0.39
0.44
0.56
COL1-004
0.03
0.21
N/A
0.41
N/A
N/A
COL1-1378
0.08
0.24
0.59
0.35
0.46
0.51
COL3-001
0.11
0.22
0.59
0.38
0.29
0.49
COL3-3065
0.07
0.19
0.56
0.33
0.31
0.49
COL3-3066
0.04
0.15
0.50
0.29
0.29
0.46
FRSM-01
0.12
0.32
0.81
0.43
0.43
0.69
FRSM-02
0.12
0.23
0.62
0.42
0.30
0.50
FRSM-03
0.04
0.21
0.57
0.35
0.48
0.53
FRSM-04
0.06
0.18
0.56
0.34
0.30
0.50
FRSM-05
0.03
0.21
0.59
0.32
0.49
0.55
FRSM-06
0.08
0.21
0.51
0.47
0.40
0.42
FRSM-07
0.10
0.23
0.53
0.37
0.44
0.43
FRSM-08
0.05
0.15
0.57
0.39
0.24
0.52
FRSM-09
0.05
0.19
0.51
0.33
0.45
0.46
FRSM-10
0.05
0.21
0.56
0.32
0.45
0.51
FRSM-11
0.11
0.23
0.55
0.33
0.38
0.44
INSM-X1233/1
0.08
0.21
0.56
0.37
0.36
0.48
INSM-X4108/20
0.07
0.21
0.53
0.36
0.42
0.46
OHS-A190/3
N/A
N/A
N/A
0.38
N/A
N/A
OHS-A1956/10
0.07
0.25
0.74
0.48
0.35
0.67
OHS-A1956/9
0.13
0.28
0.75
0.39
0.33
0.62
OHS-A3738/1.1
0.10
0.17
0.49
0.32
0.21
0.39
OHS-A3738/1.10
0.05
0.17
0.41
0.37
0.52
0.36
OHS-A3738/1.11
0.06
0.21
0.55
0.30
0.42
0.50
OHS-A3738/1.12
0.09
0.25
0.53
0.35
0.56
0.45
57
Table 13: Ratios from Measurement Data from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis
1st-2nd
Top of
Top of
Top of
hole /
1st-3rd
1st hole 2nd hole 3rd hole Width /
2nd-3rd
hole /
Identifier
/ Length / Length / Length Length
hole
Length
OHS-A3738/1.Z4
0.06
0.18
0.61
0.44
0.29
0.55
OHS-A3738/1.2
0.04
0.23
0.60
0.32
0.49
0.56
OHS-A3738/1.3
0.05
0.18
0.54
0.31
0.35
0.49
OHS-A3738/1.4
0.03
0.17
0.45
0.27
0.47
0.42
OHS-A3738/1.5
0.03
0.22
0.59
0.39
0.49
0.56
OHS-A3738/1.6
0.15
0.29
0.70
N/A
0.34
0.55
OHS-A3738/1.7
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
0.51
N/A
OHS-A3738/1.8
0.06
0.21
0.58
0.33
0.41
0.52
OHS-A3750/1.1
0.11
0.29
0.56
0.41
0.66
0.45
OHS-A3750/1.2
0.07
0.18
0.68
0.47
0.22
0.61
OHS-A3750/1.3
0.07
0.18
0.57
0.37
0.29
0.51
OHS-A3875/1
0.04
0.15
0.54
0.36
0.28
0.50
OHS-A3875/11
0.05
0.20
0.60
0.36
0.36
0.55
OHS-A60/265.1
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
0.29
N/A
OHS-A60/265.3
0.03
0.10
0.52
0.34
0.17
0.49
OHS-A806/37.2
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
UM-58797
0.15
0.21
0.50
0.40
0.21
0.35
UM-58805
0.12
0.27
0.62
0.37
0.43
0.50
UM-58806
0.08
0.19
0.50
0.39
0.38
0.42
UM-58808
0.09
0.21
0.58
0.41
0.32
0.49
UM-58809
0.08
0.20
0.52
0.38
0.38
0.44
UM-58817
0.05
0.13
0.57
0.39
0.19
0.53
UM-58818
0.13
0.32
0.67
0.45
0.53
0.54
Minimum
Maximum
Mean
Standard
Deviation
0.03
0.15
0.07
0.10
0.32
0.21
0.41
0.81
0.57
0.27
0.48
0.37
0.17
0.66
0.38
0.35
0.69
0.50
0.03
0.04
0.07
0.05
0.11
0.07
To further examine these hole measurements and ratios, the three Glacial Kame
sites with the greatest number of analyzed sandal-sole shell gorgets were compared.
These three sites are the Burch Site (n=7), the Fox-Rammel Site (n=12), and the
58
Zimmerman Site (n=16), which are geographically separated from each other by at least
60 miles. The ANOVA single-factor P-value was calculated for each unique pair of sites
(Burch to Fox-Rammel, Fox-Rammel to Zimmerman, and Zimmerman to Burch). A Pvalue of less than or equal to 0.05 is significant and indicates that the two sites in the pair
are statistically different and unique. A P-value of greater than 0.05 is not significant and
indicates that the two sites in the pair are not statistically different. Table 14 lists the Pvalues for each of the six calculated ratios from Table 13, plus the P-values for the length
and width. The four significant P-values (all involving the Burch Site) are shaded.
Table 14: ANOVA Single-Factor P-Value Results from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget
Analysis
Burch to
Fox-Rammel to
Zimmerman to
Fox-Rammel
Zimmerman
Burch
st
Ratio - Top of 1
Hole : Length
0.110611
0.527315
0.03984 significant
nd
Ratio - Top of 2
Hole: Length
0.965344
0.257267
0.366714
rd
Ratio - Top of 3
Hole: Length
0.665102
0.371535
0.73792
st
nd
Ratio – 1 to 2
hole : 2nd to 3rd
hole
0.267808
0.881519
0.35492
Ratio – 1st to 3rd
hole : Length
0.230588
0.492307
0.43878
Ratio - Width :
Length
0.175003
0.1753882
0.009604 significant
Measurement –
Length
0.366306
0.093051
0.784503
Measurement Width
0.011365 significant
0.400927
0.020354 significant
Table 15 lists other sandal-sole shell gorget dimensions as found in the literature.
These sandal-sole shell gorgets all fit within the size range that was described as part of
Table 12. It is interesting to note that there is one sandal-sole shell gorget in Table 15
59
from the McKee site that has the holes upside down, as the two closest holes are near the
smaller end of the gorget and the third hole near the middle is towards the larger end.
This is the only known sandal-sole shell gorget with this anomaly.
Table 15: Other Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Dimensions
Length Width
Site, County, State
(cm)
(cm)
Reference
Cedar Point, Kosciusko Co., IN
21.6
UNK Lilly 1942:31-33
Osmon, Allen Co., OH
15.9
UNK Anonymous 1962
Aquilla Shade, Darke Co., OH
16.5
UNK Converse 1979:133
Butler Township, Darke Co., OH
21.6
UNK Converse 1994
Butler Township, Darke Co., OH
22.9
UNK Converse 1994
Will Cruthers, Hardin Co., OH
17.5
6.7
Ohio Historical Society 2009
McKee, Preble Co., OH
12.1
6.4
Anonymous 1977
Harman, Putnam Co., OH
22.9
UNK Converse 1979:137
Alexander, Wood Co., OH
19.4
UNK Converse 1979:118
Reigh, Winnebago Co., WI
13.2
5.1
Baerreis et al 1954:27
Finlan, Northumberland Co., ON
23.8
7.8
Donaldson and Wortner 1995:57
Picton, Prince Edward Co., ON
22.7
8.0
Donaldson and Wortner 1995:65
Sartori, Essex Co., ON
29.2
8.4
Donaldson and Wortner 1995:30
Hole Wear Results
Some Glacial Kame literature reports no hole wear in sandal-sole shell gorgets or
no distinct wear pattern, which may be perfectly reasonable for a specific sandal-sole
shell gorget or a very small sample size, especially if viewing with the naked eye.
Analysis of such a small sample size may have led to erroneous conclusions. Hall points
out that the holes sometimes show signs of wear, but “in fact, there was no real pattern of
use which could be inferred from the wear” (Hall 1983:90). The hole-wear data results
amassed from the literature and this thesis‟ analysis seems to refute Hall‟s statement of
no real pattern of use.
The hole-wear data is presented in Table 16 below. Of the 59 sandal-sole shell
gorgets that were part of this research, 51 were analyzed for hole wear. Eight could not
60
be analyzed due to various reasons listed in Table 16. The asterisk (*) behind the
Identifier indicates that this gorget is also engraved. All sandal-sole shell gorgets show
wear on at least one hole. A common hole-wear pattern (HWP) quickly emerges from
this raw data. For discussion purposes, this will be known as hole-wear pattern 1.
Twenty-five (49 percent) of the sandal-sole shell gorgets (designated with HWP = 1S)
show a strong common wear pattern with another twelve (24 percent) gorgets (designated
with HWP = 1W) most likely having this same pattern, but just not fully formed and
identified as weak. Sandal-sole shell gorgets with hole-wear pattern 1S show at least
slight wear on the bottom of the first hole and the top of the second hole on the concave
side with at least slight wear on the top of the first hole and bottom of the second hole on
the convex side (see Figure 17 for an illustration of hole-wear pattern 1). Sandal-sole
shell gorgets with hole-wear pattern 1W are missing wear on one of the top two holes on
either the convex or concave side. A total of 73 percent of the sandal-sole shell gorgets
analyzed show HWP 1S or 1W.
Another less common hole-wear pattern was evident in five (10 percent) of the
sandal-sole shell gorgets. Sandal-sole shell gorgets with hole-wear pattern 2 (HWP = 2)
show hole wear on the bottom of the first hole and the bottom of the second hole on the
concave side. The wear pattern on the other holes is not consistent. The remaining nine
(18 percent) sandal-sole shell gorgets show no consistent wear pattern and are designated
as NWP.
Overall, the third hole shows the least wear of all, and the wear it does show is
very inconsistent with no clear pattern emerging. The first hole shows the heaviest and
most consistent wear, on the bottom of the hole on the concave side and the top of the
61
hole on the convex side. It has the highest incidence of heavy wear, and all sandal-sole
shell gorgets but two show at least slight wear on the first hole.
To review the coding used for the hole wear data, the first half of the designation
indicates the location of the hole wear as either B (bottom), T (top), L (left), or R (right),
and the second half of the designation indicates the amount of hole wear as NW (no
wear), SW (slight wear), W (wear), or HW (heavy wear). The HWP column indicates the
hole-wear pattern assigned to the specific sandal-sole shell gorget.
Table 16: Hole Wear Data gathered from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis
Concave
Convex
1st
2nd
3rd
1st
2nd
3rd
Identifier
hole
hole
hole
hole
hole
hole
B-SW
COL1-001
NW
NW
T-W
B-SW
NW
B-W
COL1-002
B-SW
NW
NW
NW
NW
B-W
COL1-003
T-W
NW
T-W
B-W
T-HW
T-W
B-W
COL1-004
B-W
T-W
L-W
T-W
B-SW
R-W
Too fragmented to analyze
COL1-005
Unfinished Preform
COL1-006
B-W
COL1-1378
T-W
NW
T-W
B-W
NW
B-HW
COL2-208
T-W
NW
T-W
B-W
NW
B-W
COL3-001
T-W
NW
T-W
B-W
NW
B-W
COL3-3065
T-SW
T-W
T-W
B-SW
NW
B-W
COL3-3066
NW
NW
T-W
NW
B-W
B-HW T-HW
FRSM-01
NW
T-HW B-HW
NW
B-W
FRSM-02
T-W
T-W
T-HW B-HW
NW
B-W
FRSM-03
T-W
NW
NW
B-W
NW
NW
FRSM-04
NW
NW
NW
R-HW
NW
B-SW
FRSM-05
NW
NW
NW
All-W
All-W
B-W
T-W
FRSM-06
B-SW
NW
R-W
NW
NW
L-W
B-W
FRSM-07
NW
B-W
T-SW
NW
T-W
B-W
FRSM-08
T-W
T-HW
T-W
B-W
T-SW
B-W
FRSM-09
T-W
B-SW
T-W
B-SW
T-SW
T-SW
FRSM-10*
B-W
B-W
T-SW
NW
T-W
B-SW
HWP
1W
2
1S
1S
1S
1S
1S
1S
1W
1S
1S
1S
NWP
1W
1W
1W
1S
1S
2
62
Table 16: Hole Wear Data gathered from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis
Concave
Convex
1st
2nd
3rd
1st
2nd
3rd
Identifier
hole
hole
hole
hole
hole
hole
B-W
FRSM-11
T-W Even-SW T-W
B-W
B-SW
B-HW T-HW
FRSM-12
NW
Not Available for Analysis
B-SW
INSM-X1233/1
B-HW
NW
L-SW
T-SW
NW
B-W
INSM-X4108/20
B-W
T-SW
T-W
T-HW
B-W
B-W
OHS-A190/3*
Not available for analysis
B-W
OHS-A1956/10*
NW
Even-W
NW
NW
B-SW
B-HW T-HW
OHS-A1956/9
Even-W
T-HW
B-W
All
B-SW
OHS-A3738/1.1
B-SW
NW
B-SW
T-W
NW
R-SW
OHS-A3738/1.10*
B-SW
NW
L-SW
NW
L-SW L-SW
Not available for analysis
OHS-A3738/1.11
B-W
OHS-A3738/1.12
NW
NW
T-W
L-SW T-SW
Not available for analysis
OHS-A3738/1.Z-4
T-W
OHS-A3738/1.2
B-HW T-SW
L-W
T-W
B-W
B-SW
B-SW
B-HW
OHS-A3738/1.3
B-HW L-SW
L-HW
L-W
T-SW
NW
B-HW T-HW
OHS-A3738/1.4
NW
T-W
B-SW B-SW
B-HW L-HW
OHS-A3738/1.5
NW
L-W
T-SW
NW
B-W
OHS-A3738/1.6
NW
NW
T-W
NW
NW
B-HW
OHS-A3738/1.7
T-HW
B-SW
T-SW
B-W
T-SW
B-HW
OHS-A3738/1.8
T-W
NW
T-HW B-HW
NW
N/A
OHS-A3738/1.9
N/A
NW
N/A
N/A
NW
Not available for analysis
OHS-A3738/4
Not available for analysis
OHS-A3750/1.1
T-HW
OHS-A3750/1.2
B-HW
B-SW
T-W
NW
B-W
B-SW
B-HW
OHS-A3750/1.3
T-HW
NW
Not available for analysis
B-W
OHS-A3875/1
T-W
NW
T-W
B-SW
L-W
N/A
OHS-A3875/11
T-W
NW
N/A
NW
T-SW
B-W
OHS-A60/265.1*
B-HW
T-W
NW
T-SW
T-SW
NW
Not
available
for
analysis
OHS-A60/265.2
NW
OHS-A60/265.3*
T-W
L-SW
NW
NW
NW
N/A
OHS-A806/37.1
T-SW
NW
N/A
B-SW
NW
B-W
OHS-A806/37.2*
T-W
NW
T-W
B-W
NW
B-HW
UM-58797
T-W
NW
T-W
B-W
NW
HWP
1S
1W
1W
1S
NWP
1S
2
NWP
1W
1W
2
1S
NWP
1W
1S
1S
NWP
2
1S
1S
NWP
1S
NWP
1W
1S
1S
63
Table 16: Hole Wear Data gathered from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Analysis
Concave
Convex
1st
2nd
3rd
1st
2nd
3rd
Identifier
hole
hole
hole
hole
hole
hole
B-W
UM-58805
T-SW
NW
NW
B-SW
NW
B-W
UM-58806
T-W
NW
T-SW
T-W
NW
B-HW
UM-58808
T-HW
B-SW
T-W
B-W
NW
B-W
UM-58809
T-SW
NW
T-W
B-W
NW
B-W
UM-58817
T-HW
All
T-SW
B-SW
NW
B-W
UM-58818
R-HW
NW
NW
B-SW B-HW
HWP
1W
NWP
1S
1S
1S
NWP
This hole-wear data supports findings in the literature as there are multiple reports
of hole-wear pattern 1. One of the first reports of hole wear in sandal-sole shell gorgets is
in the “Art of Shell of the Ancient Americans.” The description of a sandal-sole shell
gorget from the Rammel Site in Mercer County, Ohio, includes detailed information
about hole wear.
It bears evidence of considerable use and the two holes are much worn by a string
or cord, which passing from one hole to the other on the concave side of the plate,
gradually worked a deep grove between them… and that of such a character as to
indicate the passage of a cord between the perforations in a position that would
produce abrasion between the holes on the concave side of the plate, but would
leave the back entirely unworn. This peculiar result could only be produced by
attachment in a fixed position, concave side out, to some object perforated like the
plate, the cord passing directly through both. [Holmes 1883:265]
Ritchie also examined the Picton gorgets and described a consistent pattern as
follows:
In which the two holes near the larger end exhibit a faint grooving of the proximal
margins of the concave surface, as though abraded by a single thong or cord
forming the means of attachment. This fact suggests that the ornament was worn
with the larger end uppermost, concave surface outward, and that a knotted thong
passed from back to front, starting at the lower opening. The distal perforation or
perforations, which show no trace of wear, might then have borne dangling
ornaments, as previously hinted. [Ritchie 1949:37]
64
Converse (1979) also reports this standard pattern of hole wear:
From the wear around the holes on many examples, conclusions about the
methods of fastening them have been made. It has been speculated that a cord or
throng was knotted at one end and inserted through the lower hole from the
concave side and through the lower „toe‟ hole and back out through the upper one.
These upper holes quite often are worn enough to say with certainty the direction
which the cord followed. [Converse 1979:50]
These results also support previous microscopic analysis of smaller samples.
Donaldson and Wortner examined the nine sandal-sole shell gorgets found in Ontario
listed in Table 1. The hole wear of the gorget found at the Sartori site was described as
follows and matches the findings of hole-wear pattern 1:
Under magnification, the… concave surface shows a well-defined wear pattern
between the two holes closes to the „toe‟ end of the specimen. On the convex
surface of this specimen, the wear pattern on the „toe‟ end hole is towards the
„toe‟, the wear on the middle hole is towards the „heel‟. No definite wear pattern
can be observed on the „heel‟ end hole on either surface. [Donaldson and Wortner
1995:30]
The sandal-sole shell gorgets found at the Meredith-Goodall, Blackfriar‟s Bridge,
Hind, Finlan, and Picton sites were either described similarly, or it was specifically noted
that they followed the “typical” wear pattern previously described in their report
(Donaldson and Wortner 1995:30).
Hole-wear pattern 1 that is described in the literature and supported by this
research is illustrated in Figure 17 below. There are no reports in the literature of
analyzing hole wear that is different from hole-wear pattern 1, of comparing non-standard
wear pattern by site, or of analyzing hole-wear patterns on engraved sandal-sole shell
gorgets. These topics will be reviewed in Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusions.
65
Figure 17: Illustration of hole-wear pattern 1 exhibited by 73 percent of examined
sandal-sole shell gorgets (Donaldson and Wortner 1995:76)
Contextual Information Results
The in situ location of the sandal-sole shell gorget in relation to the skeleton has
long been of interest to those documenting Glacial Kame sites. If sandal-sole shell
gorgets were placed on or attached to the burials the same ways they were actually used,
this contextual information becomes very important and perhaps can tell us a great deal
about use.
66
As discussed previously, the vast majorities of Glacial Kame sites were accidental
discoveries from private gravel mining or construction and were not professionally
excavated. There are very few detailed site reports, and contextual information is often
not available. When it is reported, it is most often found in non-peer-reviewed journal
articles or via personal communication and not necessarily in formal site reports.
However, even the sporadic bits of contextual information can give us clues about the
possible use of sandal-sole shell gorgets and their social role as grave goods.
The earliest report of contextual information comes from John Matson‟s 1856
report of the Richardson Site in Ridgeway Township, Hardin County, Ohio. He writes:
On the head of one of the second pair (of burials) was a conch shell plate
resembling in shape the sole of a moccasin. This plate had three holes through it.
I found it on top of the head with larger end back. Two other skeletons of these
two rows had similar plates on, differing only in size. [Matson 1856:5]
The sandal-sole gorgets were even labeled by Matson as a “headdress” (see
Figure 18).
Figure 18: Sandal-sole shell gorget from Richardson Site labeled with
“Headdress from Hardin Co. Mound, John Matson"
67
Excavation of the Dixon Mound in the 1920s in Schuyler County, Illinois,
uncovered a sandal-sole shell gorget in a similar location. Charles Harris, the excavator
of the mound, stated: “A second shell gorget, with three perforations, was about nine and
on-half inches long, three and three-quarters inches wide, and shaped like a sandal-sole.
This shell piece when found was on top of the skull, the large concave end cupping over
the frontal bone and the more pointed end extending back over the crown of the skull”
(Cunningham 1948:26).
Lilly‟s account of the 1941 Cedar Point excavation in Kosciusko County, Indiana,
shows a sandal-sole shell gorget on the chest. Figure 19 below shows this sandal-sole
shell gorget in situ.
A sandal-sole shaped shell gorget 9 1/8” long with four perforations was on the
chest…. just below the smaller end of the gorget and running underneath it, a very
dark brown or black deposit interwoven with a fibrous substance like roots which
may have been the last traces of some wooden implement or a tool handle. [Lilly
1942:32]
Figure 19: Cedar Point burial showing sandal-sole shell gorget
on the chest (Lilly 1942:31)
68
The only known account of more than one sandal-sole shell gorget within a single
burial is from the Doetsch Site in Illinois (see Figure 20). A female burial approximately
21 years of age was found with the first sandal-sole gorget on the chest and the second
between the legs. (Young et al. 1961:23)
Figure 20: Doetsch Site Burial 1 illustration
showing location of two sandal-sole shell gorgets
(Young et al. 1961:24)
At the Reigh Site, Burial 13 of a young adult female (Pfeiffer 1977) contained a
sandal-sole shell gorget. “Beneath the chin of this individual, one end actually projecting
up into the mandible, was a gorget of “sandal-sole” shape made of marine conch shell.
Since the burial was tightly flexed, however, the gorget may originally have been
suspended on the chest” (Baerreis et al 1954:27). Burial 14 at the Hind Site, contained a
69
sandal-sole shell gorget at the right elbow of another young adult female (Pfeiffer 1977)
as shown in Figure 21 (Donaldson and Wortner 1995:18)
Figure 21: Hind Site burial 14 showing
sandal-sole shell gorget in situ at right elbow
(Donaldson and Wortner 1995:18)
A complete listing of the contextual data is presented in Table 15. Unfortunately
because of the accidental nature of most Glacial Kame discoveries and the common
practice of looting early Glacial Kame sites, much of this context information is gone
forever. However, a re-investigation of skeletal remains at several Glacial Kame Sites
has clarified age and sex at the Reigh and Hind Sites, among others (Pfeiffer 1977). The
data shows that sandal-sole shell gorgets were found in both male and female burials
70
equally (three burials each), but due to the small sample size and large number of
unknown sexes, this data is not entirely conclusive. However there does seem to be a
pattern of young adult females as the three females were aged similarly: “15 to 18 years
of age,” “young adult,” and “about 21 years of age” (Pfeiffer 1977:38, 1977:116; Young
et al. 1961:23) with the no age given for the males. Sandal-sole shell gorgets were found
in burials of young people, adults, and aged persons with many unknown ages. Although
most sandal-sole shell gorgets are found with skeletons, there have been cases of
inclusion with cremated or partially cremated remains (Converse 1979; Ritchie 1949).
The location of the sandal-sole shell gorget on the skeletal remains is quite
variable. A synopsis of Table 17 shows that 10 sandal-sole shell gorgets were found in
the head/skull area, five at the shoulders and neck, 19 at the chest and torso, and two at
the legs. Three sandal-sole shell gorgets were simply found with the skeleton and two
others were found with cremated remains. Two major issues could be influencing the
validity of this data. Many of these older accounts are verbal descriptions that were
passed down from non-professional observer to the researcher (Converse 1979;
Cunningham 1948), often via second or third parties. They are only as accurate as
someone‟s recollections or in many cases, several person‟s recollections. The second
cause of variable data could be the nature of the Glacial Kame burials. Several reports
mention that with tightly flexed burials, it is sometime hard to determine whether the
original location of the sandal-sole shell gorget as placed on the burial is what is truly
being seen during excavation. This can be even more misleading in the case of multiple
flexed burials.
71
Table 17: Contextual Data gathered from Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Research
Location
#
In Situ
SSSG Sex
Age
Site
Reference
On the head
3
Unknown
Unknown
Richardson
Matson 1856
On top of the
1
Unknown
Unknown
Dixon
Cunningham
skull
1948:26
Near the head
5
Unknown
4 adults and
Burch
Cunningham
perhaps at least
1948:7
one child
Near the skull
1
Male
Unknown
Williams
Vastano 2008
Mostly about
3
Unknown
Unknown
Mulen
Cunningham
head, shoulders
1948:24
One on each
2
Unknown
Unknown
Middleburg Converse
shoulder
1979:113
“on the front of 14
Unknown
Unknown
Zimmerman Cunningham
the skeletons
1948:11
about the
middle”
Just below right 1
Female
15 to 18 years of Hind
Donaldson
elbow
(Pfeiffer
age
Burial 14
and Wortner
1977:38)
1995:15
Chest (below
1
Female
Young adult
Reigh
Baerreis et al
chin)
(Pfeiffer
Burial 13
1954:27
1977:116)
Chest
1
Unknown
Unknown
Cedar Point Lilly 1942
Area of Torso
1
Unknown
Adult
McKee
Anonymous
Burial 8
1977
Chest
1
Female
About 21 years
Doetsch
Young et al.
---------------of age
Burial 1
1961:23
Between the
1
legs
Among leg
1
Unknown
Adolescent /
Picton
Ritchie 1949
bones, close to
young person
Burial 10
pelvis
Accompanying 2
Unknown
Unknown
Harrison
Cunningham
the skeleton
1948:10
Accompanying 1
Male
Unknown
Osmon
Anonymous
the skeleton
(Large Male)
1962
Accompanying 3
Unknown
Multiple Adults Picton
Ritchie 1949
cremation
Burial 7
Beneath the
1
Male
Unknown
Bowman
Converse
remains
Burial 5
1979:100
Unknown
2
Unknown
Aged person
Darke Co.
Matson 1865
72
Engraved Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets
Engraving is rare on sandal-sole shell gorgets. “There are probably less than ten
known engraved examples making them a rarity among rarities” (Bravard and Converse
1973:4). These artistic designs can give us very important clues about the culture of the
people who made these engravings and the environment that they lived in. Eleven
engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets are listed in Table 18 below and detailed in the
following paragraphs. Seven of these engraved gorgets (as notated with an Identifier)
were analyzed by the author.
Table 18: Engraved Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets
Site, County, State
Identifier
Type of Engraving
Zimmerman, Hardin Co., OH OHS-A3738/1.10 Three incised lines of geometric
design
Northern Ohio gravel pit
Three incised lines possibly
representing snake
Erie Co., OH
OHS-806/37.2
Incised lines possibly representing
snake
Meredith-Goodall, Kent Co.,
Incised lines of geometric design
Ontario
Mulen, Randolph Co., IN
OHS-A60/265.1 Incised parallel lines with Xs
Mulen, Randolph Co., IN
OHS-A60/265.3 Three incised lines representing
stylized bird
Rammel, Mercer Co., OH
Bas-relief of stylized bird
Rammel or Fox, Mercer Co.,
FRSM-010
Incised parallel lines with Xs
OH
Spitzer, Hardin Co., OH
OHS-A109/3
Bas-relief of possible bear cub
Rockford, Mercer Co., OH
Spiral design of tiny indentations
Dublin Township, Mercer
OHS-1956/10
Spiral design of tiny indentations
Co., OH
Zimmerman Site, Hardin County, Ohio
The engraved partial sandal-sole shell gorget pictured in Figure 22 is from the
Zimmerman Site in Hardin County, Ohio, and was discovered in 1931 along with 22
73
other sandal-sole shell gorgets. “It is said that most of the sandal-sole gorgets were
around the shoulders and necks of the skeletons” (Cunningham 1948:12). This
engraving‟s closely spaced three-line style (see Figure 23 for geometric design) is very
similar to an engraved gorget found at the Mulen Kame in Randolph Co., Indiana, and
another found in northern Ohio. The engraving covers at least the narrowest half of the
concave side of the gorget with no engraving on the convex side.
Figure 22: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Zimmerman Site, Hardin Co.
OH; OHS-A3738/1.9
Figure 23: Geometric design (made with three closely
incised lines) on engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from
the Zimmerman Site, Hardin Co. OH; OHS-A3738/1.9
Northern
Ohio Gravel Pit
(Galitza
1958c:102)
The engraved partial sandal-sole shell gorget pictured in Figure 24 and Figure 25
is from a “northern Ohio gravel pit” (Moorehead 1910). It is engraved on at least the
74
widest two-thirds of the concave side with no engraving on the convex side. The
engraving is thought to represent a snake with the triangular elements representing snake
heads and the body represented by the intricate and closely spaced three lines (Converse
1979). This engraving could also be a geometric design as opposed to a snake, as it most
closely resembles the geometric designs found on a sandal-sole shell gorget from the
Meredith-Goodall Site in Ontario (Figure 27). It is also very similar to the engraved
gorget at the Zimmerman site and the Mulen Kame stylized bird gorget.
Figure 24: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from northern Ohio
(Moorehead 1910:124)
Figure 25: Drawing of detail engraving on sandal-sole shell gorget
from northern Ohio (Converse 1979:43)
75
Erie County, Ohio
The engraved partial sandal-sole shell gorget pictured in Figure 26 is from an
unknown site in Erie County, Ohio. It is engraved on at least the widest half of the
concave side with no engraving on the convex side. Although these lines are poorly
incised compared to other engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets, it is still posited that this
design represents a snake with the familiar triangular head (Converse 1979:45).
Figure 26: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from Erie County, OH; OHS806/37.2
Meredith-Goodall Site, Kent County, Ontario
The engraved sandal-sole shell gorget illustrated in Figure 27 is from the
Meredith-Goodall Site in Kent County, Ontario, and was excavated in 1964. It was the
only sandal-sole shell gorget found at the site and was found in Burial 14 just below the
right elbow of a 15- to 18-year-old female (Donaldson and Wortner 1995; Pfeiffer
1977:38). As shown the geometric design graving is near the center of the gorget fully
76
covering the width of the concave surface and then overlapping the convex surface about
one-third of the width on each side.
Figure 27: Drawing of engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the MeredithGoodall Site, Ontario (Donaldson and Wortner 1995:76)
Mulen Kame, Randolph County, Indiana
Figure 28 and Figure 29 shows an engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the
Mulen Kame in Randolph County, Indiana, and was discovered in 1885. It was found
along with two other sandal-sole shell gorgets “placed mostly about the head and
shoulders” (Cunningham 1948:24), with one other engraved. This gorget‟s geometric
77
design of multiple Xs between parallel lines is on the smaller end of the concave side of
the gorget, covering about one-third of the smaller end.
Figure 28: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Mulen Kame, Randolph
County, IN; OHS-A60/265.1
Figure 29: Close-up of geometric design on sandal-sole shell gorget from the Mulen
Kame, Randolph County, IN; OHS-A60/265.1
The engraved sandal-sole shell gorget pictured in Figure 30 is also from the
Mulen Kame. This engraving‟s closely spaced three-line style is very similar to an
engraved gorget found at the Zimmerman Site in Hardin County, Ohio, and another
found in northern Ohio. Per Cunningham, it “is similar to that employed on pottery
78
vessels of Natchezan style in the lower Mississippi Valley” (Cunningham 1948:24). The
engraving covers the widest two-thirds of the concave side of the gorget with no
engraving on the convex side. Although some literature describes this engraving as an
“elaborate cross” (Cunningham 1948:24, Hall 1983:93), others envision it as a stylized
bird with two heads, two tails, and four wings (see Figure 31). It is also noted that the
head and tail treatment is similar to the engraved Bravard gorget (Converse 1979;
Converse and Bravard 1973).
It is interesting to note that this engraving is similar to the three-line incised style
used in Cox Mound gorgets from the late prehistoric and protohistoric Southeastern
Ceremonial Complex (SECC). One of the Cox Mound style gorgets‟ important
iconographic elements is the looped square, which is the scroll-like design element
composed of three or four lines (Figure 32). It closely resembles the three-line
interwoven design of the Mulen Kame gorget. As used in Cox Mound gorgets, the
looped square may represent wind (Buchner 1998). It is possible that the three-line
interwoven design of the Mulen Kame gorget could be a stylized bird made with
iconographic elements to also represent the wind.
Figure 30: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Mulen Kame, Randolph
County, IN; OHS-A60/265.3
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Figure 31: Drawing of detailed engraving on sandal-sole shell gorget from the
Mulen Kame, Randolph County, IN (Converse 1979:39)
Figure 32: Cox Mound Gorgets showing the looped square design element (Buchner
1998:1)
Rammel Site, Mercer County, Ohio
The engraved sandal-sole shell gorget in Figure 33 is known as the Bravard
gorget. It was presumed to be found in either the Rammel Site or Fox Site in Mercer
County, Ohio, as it is marked “FT. RECOVERY OH” and was first mentioned in the
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literature in 1973 (Bravard and Converse 1973) It is only one of two sandal-sole shell
gorgets carved in bas-relief. The engraving (see Figure 34 and Figure 35) covers
approximately the widest two-thirds of the concave side of the gorget with no engraving
on the convex side. Per Bravard and Converse, it portrays a highly stylized bird with a
head, tail, two wings, and clawed feet all pointing inward. The engraving of the head and
tail are very similar to the engraving of the head and tail on the Mulen Kame gorget just
previously mentioned. They also suggest that this design is similar to bird elements
found on engraved tablets found in Adena mounds (Webb and Baby 1957:83-101) and to
“outside in” treatment found on a human skull gorget from the Adena Florence mound
(Converse 1979:39). It is suggested by Vastano (2009) that the bird representation could
be a vulture. Instead of the “outside in” treatment as suggested by Bravard and Converse
(1973), this could be a representation of several birds or turkeys in a flock or following
each other.
Figure 33: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget (Bravard Gorget) from the Fox or
Rammel Site, Mercer County, OH (Converse 1979:38)
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Figure 34: Drawing of detailed engraving on the Bravard Gorget from the Fox
or Rammel Site, Mercer County, OH (Bravard and Converse 1973:6)
Figure 35: Deconstructed drawing of detailed engraving
on the Bravard Gorget from the Fox or Rammel Site,
Mercer County, OH (Bravard and Converse 1973:6)
Rammel Site or Fox Site, Mercer County, Ohio
Similar to engraving found in one of the Mulen Kame gorgets (Figure 28 and
Figure 29), the sandal-sole shell gorget in Figure 36 and Figure 37 appears to exhibit very
faint incised parallel lines with Xs in between. This engraving is located across the
gorget width on the bottom one-third of the gorget, about 2.5 centimeters below the third
hole. It appears to be just a single set of parallel lines and accompanying Xs. This
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engraving has not been reported in any other literature, most likely because of its faint
nature that is not visible as exhibited in the current display cases in the Fort Recovery
State Museum.
Figure 36: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Rammel or Fox Site,
Mercer County, Ohio; FRSM-010
Figure 37: Close-up of engraving on sandal-sole shell gorget
from the Rammel or Fox Site, Mercer County, Ohio; FRSM-010
Spitzer Site, Hardin County, Ohio
The other example of a bas-relief engraved sandal-sole shell gorget is from the
Spitzer Site in Hardin County, Ohio. It was found in 1886 and was first mentioned in
The Archaeologist (Snodgrass 1894). The engraving (see Figure 38 and Figure 39)
covers approximately the widest two-thirds of the concave side of the gorget with no
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engraving on the convex side. The engraving is thought to be a bear (Converse 1979;
Cunningham 1948; Snodgrass 1984), however there is disagreement over the appendage
protruding from the animal and up and around the gorget. Some think it represents an
umbilical with symbolic or legendary meaning (Converse 1979), while others think it is a
tail and thus the engraving represents an unknown prehistoric animal (Snodgrass 1894).
The original gorget is missing the piece that would show if the appendage is continuous
or not and the Ohio Historical Society reconstruction of that missing piece is merely an
assumption of the missing piece‟s design. Snodgrass wrote in great detail about the
workmanship of this carving:
In front of the animal‟s head are plain and visible tracings of the instrument
which was used to carve with; little notches in the mouth to represent teeth are
visible; both eyes are on one side as represented in illustration and little
depressions are hollowed out in the ears. The two forefeet are not the same shape
– two toes, as will be seen on one foot, while there are none on the other; two toes
of the hind foot can just be seen where the shell is broken off; two small holes are
drilled through the shell, one just opposite the hind foot and between the toes, the
other just below it and partly broken out by the lower fragment. The eye-holes
are not drilled through, but the hole in front of the eyes, is, as well as the one in
the right hand upper corner, beneath which is what I supposed to be intended for a
tail to the animal and which, you can see, runs along the upper border of the shell,
ending directly over the animal‟s neck in a large bunch like a cat-tail; I mean the
cat-tail that grows in swamps and marshy places, the Typhalatifolia. [Snodgrass
1894:114-115]
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Figure 38: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Spitzer Site, Hardin Co., OH;
OHS-A109/3 (Converse 1979:46)
Figure 39: Reconstructed engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Spitzer Site,
Hardin County, OH; OHS-A109/3 (Ohio Historical Society)
Mercer County, Ohio
There have been two sandal-sole shell gorgets engraved with very distinctive
spiral punctuated designs found in two separate sites in Mercer County, Ohio. One was
found in Dublin Township and is pictured in Figure 40 below. Tiny pinpoint depressions
start in the center of the top two-thirds of the gorget and spirals outward covering the
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whole concave side of the gorget. There is no engraving or depressions on the convex
side. Three or four rows of these tiny holes create the spiral, as shown in Figure 41. The
second sandal-sole shell gorget with a similar type of indentations or depressions was
found in the Rockford Kame and is shown in Figure 42. Again, the design is on the
concave side of the partial gorget.
Figure 40: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from Dublin Township, Mercer
County, OH; OHS-1956/10
Figure 41: Close-up of engraving on sandal-sole shell gorget from Dublin Township,
Mercer County, OH; OHS-1956/10
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Figure 42: Engraved sandal-sole shell gorget from the Rockford Kame, Mercer Co.,
OH (Converse 1979:44)
Monroeville, Huron County, Ohio
A Glacial Kame burial discovered in 2004 in Monroeville, Huron County, Ohio,
revealed four sandal-sole shell gorgets. These gorgets were removed for reburial before
they could be cleaned and analyzed, but quick pictures were taken. The pictures showed
two gorgets covered with sand, however based on fragments of other shell gorgets, it is
likely these two gorgets did exhibit engraving. The designs on the other shell fragments
included angled lines and punctuates which are similar to other engraved sandal-sole
shell gorgets (Rummel 2005).
Symbolism and Ceremonialism
Many early accounts of shell ornaments focused on the symbolism of the shell
itself. For Late Archaic people living in the Midwest, a marine shell or shell ornament
87
from the sea so many miles away would have been mysterious and magical, treated with
reverence and high esteem, and perhaps worn as a charm or used in religious ceremonies
(Brown 1913; Holmes 1883; Rau 1876; Wintemberg 1908). Given the general prestige
of shell, it could have been a marker of social status. Displaying shell, especially
engraved or carved shell, as a body ornament could have been a sign of importance, as it
symbolized a link to the sea and exotic places (Lepper 2005). It could also have been
placed in burials to “allow the deceased access into the spirit world” (Dreiss 2001:1).
The Busycon perversum lightning whelk, the shell used for sandal-sole shell gorgets, is
one of the few sinistral marine shells (spiraling to the left) and could have been regarded
as sacred because of that left-handed nature (Milanich 1979; Wintemberg 1908). The act
of burying shell ornaments with the dead, is in itself a very symbolic act with economic
(restricting supply of a rare resource) and spiritual meaning (Dreiss 2001).
The eleven engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets detailed in the previous section
show several examples of symbolism including two stylized birds, two possible
representations of snakes, and a bas-relief of a bear or other animal with a symbolic
umbilical cord or tail (Converse 1979). Incised geometric designs are also found on
several of the engraved gorgets, most with three closely spaced lines. Because this same
motif or pattern is found on slate gorgets, slate tubes, and other Glacial Kame artifacts
(Converse 1976), it appears to be a known symbol or icon with special meaning. It is
interesting to note from Table 18 that engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets with similar
methods of design are found hundreds of miles apart. For example, the engraving on the
sandal-sole shell gorget from the Meredith-Goodall Site in Ontario has incised engraving
that is very similar in form to the engraved gorget found in a “northern Ohio” gravel pit.
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Whatever these incised symbols and geometric patterns meant to the Glacial Kame
people, it apparently had similar connation in a wide, regional context.
A similar example involves the two Mercer County, Ohio, sandal-sole shell
gorgets with spiral depressions or punctuates covering the concave surface of the gorget.
One could make the argument that these symbols do not have regional meaning (since
they were found less than 15 miles apart), except when a similar shell ornament from
Allen‟s Creek, Texas, is taken into consideration. At least two shell ornaments from the
Ernest Witte Site (41AU36) in Texas show the same type of depressions on the concave
side of the shell, although in straight line patterns and not in spirals (Hall 1981:203). It
could be possible that the symbolism inherent in the small pinpoint depressions on the
shell are recognized and have meaning beyond the core Glacial Kame burial complex.
Animals were a popular symbolic element in Glacial Kame. In addition to animal
mask-headdresses, and the engravings of stylized birds, snakes, and bears on sandal-sole
shell gorgets, other Glacial Kame artifacts symbolized various animals. Turtle
engravings and symbolism can be found on other shell and slate artifacts (Converse 2001;
Holzapfel 2006). Birdstones are most likely symbolized representations of various bird
or vultures (Vastano 2009). Various geometric designs possibly representing snakes are
found on slate gorgets and tubes in addition to shell artifacts (Converse 1976). It appears
animals and birds played an important part in Glacial Kame life and ceremonialism and
perhaps were treated with a certain reverence (Bravard 1973; Galitza 1970).
Webb and Baby (1957:104-108) attempted to correlate symbols and art motifs
across the Adena (Early Woodland in Ohio), Hopewell (Late Woodland in Ohio), and
Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (Late Prehistoric in Southeast). In several of these
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cases, Glacial Kame symbols could also be part of this continuum and could possibly be
considered as ancestral to Adena, Hopewell, or Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
symbology. These symbols include incised crosses, bi-lobed and tri-lobed designs,
raptorial birds or ducks, and snakes. Converse (1979) also points out the similarities
between the bas-relief raptorial bird engraving on the Bravard gorget (Figure 33) and the
engraving on the Adena human skull gorget from the Florence Mound in Ohio (Webb
and Baby 1957).
The Glacial Kame burial complex shows evidence of ceremonialism not only
from the treatment of their burials (Quimby 1960), but from the accompanying grave
goods. At least four animal headdresses have been found at Glacial Kame sites. These
include a wolf headdress at the Clifford M. Williams Site in Logan County, Ohio (Baby
1961), a bear skull mask altered to fit a human skull at a different Williams Site in Wood
County, Ohio (Stothers and Abel 1993), an almost identical altered bear skull mask at the
Hind Site in Ontario (Donaldson and Wortner 1995), and a wolf headdress from the
Minter Site (Converse 2001). Also found at the Hind Site was an altered skull of a fisher.
The ceremonial use of animal masks as part of burials in Glacial Kame may have been a
precursor to the ceremonialism and shamanism in Adena and Hopewell. As both Adena
and Hopewell also used animal mask-headdresses in their burial rituals and shamanism
(Baby 1956; Webb and Baby 1957), it seems logical that this continued a progression
from Late Archaic Glacial Kame societies use of the same type of artifacts for burial
ceremonialism (Carr and Case 2005). Brown (1997) notes that the earliest archaeological
context of shamanism that flourishes in the Middle and Late Woodland is found in the
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Late Archaic, and he specifically mentions the red ocher frequently found in Glacial
Kame burials as evidence.
The most elaborate explanation of ceremonialism and symbolism involving
sandal-sole shell gorgets is from Hall. In “A Pan-Continental Perspective on Red Ocher
and Glacial Kame Ceremonialism “(Hall 1983), he argues that the drilled holes in certain
sandal-sole shell gorgets (those without perfectly aligned holes) represent the three stars
that form the “sword” in the constellation Orion. He goes on to explain the importance of
these three “sword” stars and the mystical relationship they have to the Big Dipper. He
draws a parallel between the sandal-sole shell gorget and its diagnostic counterpart in
Red Ocher, the turkey-tail flint blade, which he hypothesizes is used as a bull-roarer. He
also draw associations between both artifacts to the uterus and placenta and sees them
both as being “talismans used in the acquisitions of visions or spirit powers or as material
tokens of the powers, blessings, or patronage of mystical supernaturals as ancestors or
ancestresses of descent groups, originators of tribal or lineage rituals and/or initiators of
youths in puberty rites” (Hall 1983:102). He believes the sandal-sole shell gorget is a
precursor to two-holed stone gorgets of the later Woodland periods, which were used as a
protective charm.
Proposed Gorget Use
Sandal-sole shell gorgets have been assigned many functions. In the earliest
reports, they were actually interpreted as being worn on the feet as stated by a Mr.
Whitney in 1880, “about ten pairs of the shell sandals of different sizes, and made to fit
the right and left feet” (Mason 1881:448). Holmes took note of the peculiar perforations
and the fact that the spacing of the holes (especially the third hole) was “not designed for
91
ordinary suspension, but placed near the middle of the specimen as if for fixing it to the
person or costume by means of cords” (Holmes 1883:265). Other late 19th-century
reports and articles support the use of sandal-sole shell gorgets as typical gorgets or
ornaments hung around the neck, badges of authority, armor plates, wrist protectors when
using a bow, or as implements for sizing sinews, twisting cords, or evening bowstrings
(Holmes 1883; Fowke 1896). Arguments for ornamental neck-wear came mostly from
the fact that they were thought to be generally found on the breast of a skeleton. Holmes
(1883) concluded they were personal decoration because the rarity of the shell would be
too valuable to use for utilitarian purposes, and there was no sign of obvious wear to
support any non-ornamental use. Fowke (1896) concluded that if they were ornamental,
they could have been suspended as follows:
If they were to be worn at the belt or on any part of the dress they could easily
have been fastened by a knotted string, or if the wearer desired he could have an
ornamental button of some kind. If suspended around the neck, in order to make
them lie flat against the breast they probably had a short cord passed through the
perforation and tied above the top of the object, the suspending cord being passed
through the loop thus formed. [Fowke 1896:117]
Other suggested uses include a pendant or gorget where the sandal-sole shell
gorget is worn with the “toe” end at the top and the concave surface out. A single cord or
thong was threaded through the third hole on the “heel” end from the concave surface,
passed upward along the back or convex side, and then threaded through the second and
out first hole for attachment or suspension (Donaldson and Wortner 1995; Ritchie
1949:36). Ritchie also proposes that feathers, claws, or fur strips could have been
attached to the third hole. Curren (1977) suggests that they were used to shape ceramics,
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which is refuted by Starna (1979) as he proposes that they represent trade goods or status
items.
In addition to sandal-sole shell gorgets being found on the chest and torso, they
were often found on the skull. This led to Cunningham‟s conclusion that they may have
been used to “decorate or dress the hair, but were of greater importance and value to the
wearer than ordinary hair ornaments, since powers of magic, protection, or authority
were undoubtedly attributed to them” (Cunningham 1948:32). Although there were no
sandal-sole shell gorgets found at the Glacial Kame Duff cemetery in Ohio, circular
shell gorgets there were shown to have functioned as part of a barrette to position hair
and worn at the back of the head (Sciulli and Schuck 2001). It is also known that beads
were used for hair ornaments, “Formerly, four deer-skins was the price of a large conchshell bead, about the length and thickness of a man‟s fore-finger; which they fixed to the
crown of their head, as an high ornament – so greatly they valued them” (Adair
1775:170). Sandal-sole shell gorgets may have performed similar functions ornamental
functions in the hair. Hall notices the variability in location of the sandal-sole shell
gorgets on the burial remains and concluded there were not enough occurrences of
sandal-sole shell gorgets on the head to recommend “exclusive function such as that of
the bone roach-spreader of historic times” (Hall 1983:90) or to suggest exclusive use as
a pendant or gorget.
It is important to note that sandal-sole shell gorgets often seem to have been
repaired or reworked into smaller pendants when they were broken. Details on the repair
technique can be found in the subsequent Shell Manufacturing Techniques section, and
Figure 53 shows an example of a sandal-sole shell gorget with repair holes. Sandal-sole
93
shell gorgets were also often reworked into smaller pendants if they could not be
repaired. These reworked partial sandal-sole shell gorgets could become triangular
pendants as found at the Hind Site in Ontario, identifiable only by the original hole-wear
pattern and hole diameters (Donaldson and Wortner 1995; Ritchie 1949:36). Per
Converse (1979), the high incidence of broken and subsequently repaired shells indicates
that were commonly or frequently worn (and not just kept for ceremonial purposes), and
that they were so rare and valuable that their meaning was not diminished by being
repaired or reworked.
Historical and ethnographic accounts of shell usage in the Eastern United States
may provide some clues on the use and manufacture of sandal-sole shell gorgets.
Various historical references support shell usage as a pendant or gorget around the neck.
John Lawson, who travelled through North and South Carolina in the year 1700, reports
that “the Indians often times make of a certain large sea-shell a sort of gorge, which they
wear about their neck with a string, so it hangs on their collar, whereon is sometimes
engraved a cross or some odd sort of figure which comes next in their fancy” (Lawson
1714:315). John Brickell‟s account of North Carolina Indians reports similar usage as:
They frequently make of these shells several sorts of figures, in imitation of
gorges, crosses, stars, or any other odd kind of figure that their imagination
suggests. These they wear about their necks and arms tied with a string; there are
some of these gorges that will sell for three or four buckskins ready drest, whilst
others are only valued and sold for one doe skin. [Brickell 1737:337]
In his account of American Indians in the southeast, James Adair reports that the
natives “wore a breastplate made of a white conch-shell, with two holes bored in the
middle of it, through which he put the ends of an otter-skin strap and fastened a buckhorn button to the outside of each” (Adair 1775:170). These same quotes are used in
94
other early American Indian ethnographic studies (Fowke 1896; Thomas 1891) to support
Native American shell usage and importance. This buck-horn button supports Fowke‟s
idea of a belt or clasp on the body fastened with an ornamental button. Beverley states in
History and Present State of Virginia (1705:4) that “At his Breast is a Tablet of fine
Shell, smooth as polish‟d Marble, which sometimes also has etched on it a Star, Half
Moon, or other Figure, according to the maker‟s fancy.” Also supporting ornamental
wear on the chest is Kalm‟s Travels into North America (1773:321), “others have a large
shell on the breast, of a fine white colour, which they value very high and is very dear.”
Circular shell gorgets were almost certainly suspended from the neck based on
hole-wear pattern and ethnographic evidence (Rau 1876:71). Rau also reports that “shellmatter was wrought into a variety of other ornaments designed for suspension or
attachment. In most instances the fastening was effected by perforations” (Rau 1876:71).
Research showed quite a few examples of circular shell gorgets being used at the neck
and chest, but no historical drawings or photographs of anything resembling a sandal-sole
shell gorget being used.
95
Figure 44: Cloud Man,
Assiniboin (Stony)
(Smithsonian National Museum
of the American Indian 2009:
Catalog Number P27519)
Figure 43: Chief Wets It, Assiniboin
(Stony) (Smithsonian National
Museum of the American Indian
2009: Catalog Number P28467)
Stone gorgets, given their similar form to several types of shell gorgets, can also
give important ethnographic clues. “The single-holed form was used generally as a
pendant by Iroquois owners; the double-holed variety served as a hair ornament among
the Delawares” (Skinner 1912:394). Robertson (1878) refutes stone gorgets being used
as shuttles or cord gauges as they show no signs of wear from this type of usage and do
not have varying sizes of holes. He also relays an ethnographic account from a former
clerk of a fur trader for the Miamis who reports he had “often seen them in use and they
were worn on the left wrist to ward off the blow of the bowstring in hunting” (Robertson
1878:100). Peets (1965) also supports the use of stone gorgets as archery guards. Ellis
(2007) suggests that the term “gorget” is a functional misnomer and that archaeological
96
evidence shows that a prehistoric gorget may or may not have the same functionality as a
historic gorget, and in fact, prehistoric gorgets may have been used many different ways.
Shell Manufacturing Techniques
Sandal-sole shell gorgets are manufactured from Busycon perversum shell
(Converse 1979:50; Holmes 1883:265), also known as lightning whelk. This same shell
type was also referred to as Fulgur perversa (Wintemberg 1928), Fulgur (Busycon)
perversus (Brown 1913) and unio shell (Moorehead 1910) in early literature and is also
synonymous with Busycon contrarium (Hall 1981; Hoff and Hoff 2008). The lightning
whelk is a sinistral shell (see Figure 45) meaning it coils or spirals in a left-handed
direction, and it ranges in size from 10 to 45 centimeters. Given the maximum length of
sandal-sole shell gorgets (up to 24 centimeters), the size of the lightning whelks used
were estimated to be up to 45 centimeters long and almost 30 centimeters in diameter
(Converse 1979). The lightning whelk is native to the coast of southeastern North
America and found from North Carolina south to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico (Dreiss
2001; Hall 1981).
97
Figure 45: Busycon perversum (Frank and Lee 1998:1)
Multiple types of Glacial Kame shell ornaments and beads were made from
various parts of Busycon perversum, using all parts of the shell. The sandal-sole shell
gorget‟s unique curved length indicates it was made from the body whorl portion (see
Figure 46 and Figure 47) of the shell. In addition to using the body whorl, portions of the
anterior canal on one end of the shell and the penultimate suture on the other end were
sometimes used in order to give the sandal-sole shell gorget the longest length possible.
In these cases, traces of the natural sinistral spiral of the shell can be seen in the sandalsole shell gorget (Dreiss 2001).
98
Figure 46: Busycon perversum terminology – interior view (Hall 1981:44)
Figure 47: Busycon perversum terminology - exterior view
(Hall 1981:44)
Actual manufacture of the sandal-sole shell gorget would have involved cutting
the shell with various lithic tools as demonstrated below in Figure 48. The initial form
would then have been abraded on the exterior surface of the shell, removing any outer
spines (Hall 1981). The edges of the sandal-sole shell gorget would then be smoothed
and rounded (Wintemberg 1928) using a grinding tool as shown in Figure 48. The ends
would also be formed, rounded and smoothed to give a classic sandal-sole shape. As
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reported by Holmes when describing a sandal-sole shell gorget from the Rammel Site in
Mercer County, Ohio, “the back had been slightly ground to take off the rougher ridges
of growth, the edges are even and rounded and in many places quite thin” (Holmes
1883:265). The finished thickness of a sandal-sole shell gorget is typically between 0.3
and 0.6 centimeters. Perforations or holes were then drilled into the sandal-sole shell
gorget using a flint point. Holes are typically 0.3 to 0.5 centimeters in diameter.
Figure 48: Steps in making sandal-sole
shell gorgets (Ohio Historical Society 2008)
Figure 49 and Figure 50 show a possible bow drilling technique that could have
been used for creating the perforations in the sandal-sole shell gorgets. Experimental
archaeology (Barton et al. 2009) concluded that this was the most efficient and effective
drilling method for Spondylus shell. Examining the sandal-sole shell gorgets from the
Picton Site in Ontario, Ritchie (1949) states:
100
The perforations on these gorgets are prevailingly countersunk from one face and
the nature of the aperture suggests the use of a stone drill, probably of chipped
flint. The periphery of our specimens… is polished and rounded, and the objects
convey the impression of having been painstakingly made, according to a definite
traditional pattern which admitted of minor individual variations, and highly
regarded as valuable possessions. [Ritchie 1949:37]
Figure 49: Demonstration of stone drill that may have been used to drill shell
perforations (The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site)
Figure 50: Demonstration of bow drill used for drill testing in Spondylus shell
(Barton et al. 2009:6)
101
The only known example of a sandal-sole shell gorget preform is shown in Figure
52 and Figure 51. This preform is from the Zimmerman Site in Hardin County, Ohio,
and is now owned by a private collector. It is not found in any previous Glacial Kame
literature. Based on this specimen, the collector‟s theory on manufacture of sandal-sole
shell gorgets is that holes were drilled into the Busycon perversum shell along the outline
of the gorget. The shell was then “sawed” between the holes with a piece of flint to
eventually release the gorget preform from the shell (Vastano 2009). The gorget edges
could then be finished using flint points and abrasives for smoothing and polishing.
Figure 51: Sandal-sole shell gorget preform from Zimmerman Site
(convex); COL1-006
Figure 52: Sandal-sole shell gorget preform from Zimmerman Site
(concave); COL1-006
102
Manufacturing techniques can also be gleaned from various historical accounts.
When speaking of shell beads and gorgets, Adair reports that they are “made out of
conch-shell, by rubbing them on hard stones, and so they form them according to their
liking” (Adair 1775:170). The abrasion of rubbing the shell on hard stones matches the
manufacturing techniques described above by Hall (1981) and Dreiss (2001). Lawson‟s
account of drilling shell beads gives us an idea of the amount of time it must have taken
to form and fashion a sandal-sole shell gorget:
But the drilling is the most difficult to the Englishman, which the Indians manage
with a nail stuck in a cane or reed. Thus they roll it continually on their thighs,
with their right hand holding the bit of shell with their left, so in time they drill a
hole quite through it, which is a very tedious work. [Lawson 1714:316]
In addition to a standard design and three-hole pattern of sandal-sole shell
gorgets, repair of broken sandal-sole shell gorgets was standardized. The repair of
broken sandal-sole shell gorgets typically consisted of opposing sets of repair holes that
were drilled very close to the break at regular intervals (see Figure 53). It is assumed a
cord was woven through these repair holes to keep the two pieces of the sandal-sole shell
gorget together. Sandal-sole shell gorgets using this repair technique were found in Erie
County, Ohio (OHS-A806/37.1), the Osmon Site in Allen County, Ohio (Converse
1979:119), the Zimmerman Site in Hardin County, Ohio (OHS-A3738-1.9), the Mulen
Kame in Randolph County, Ohio (OHS-A60/265.3) and the Picton Site in Ontario
(Ritchie 1949).
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Figure 53: Example of broken sandal-sole shell gorget with repair holes from the
Picton Site, Ontario (Cunningham 1948:Plate V)
It is important to note that broken sandal-sole shell gorgets were sometimes not
repaired but reworked into smaller pendants. This was the case at the Picton Site in
Ontario for four broken and reworked sandal-sole shell gorgets as “the adaptation has
consisted in the regrinding of certain of the broken edges and the drilling of a new
perforation near one edge of the fragment” (Ritchie 1949:36).
Trade and Exchange
Renfrew and Bahn recognize various “materials of prestige value” that vary
among cultures yet have common qualities of rarity, durability, and of being visually
conspicuous. They specifically point out shell of large marine molluscs as “being highly
prized in many cultures for millennia” (Renfrew and Bahn 1996:34). It is then no wonder
that the sandal-sole shell gorget, its raw material, and its standard form were objects of
trade and exchange.
The distribution of Glacial Kame sites and a sub-set of those sites with sandalsole shell gorgets and Glacial Kame‟s relationship with Red Ocher and Old Copper all
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have been discussed in the Background chapter of this thesis. The use of exotic raw
materials (shell, copper, galena, flint) during the Late Archaic and as part of the Glacial
Kame burial complex supports vast Late Archaic trade networks (Brose 1994; Fitting and
Brose 1971; Ford 1974). Early researchers and discoverers of Glacial Kame sites
recognized the evidence of these trade networks from the Busycon shell artifacts (Holmes
1883; Matson 1856; Rau 1876; Wintemberg 1908).
The literature supports the source of sandal-sole shell gorget raw material as
Busycon perversum from the Gulf Coast. However, there is much debate on how the
shells were actually transported from as far away as Florida into Ohio and other Glacial
Kame locales and whether the raw material was moved as whole shells, preforms, or
finished sandal-sole shell gorgets. Several researchers assume that the shells were cut
into sections or the columnella removed so the shells could be more easily packed and
moved (Converse 1979:48; Hoff and Hoff 2007). While this may be true in some cases,
there are also discoveries of whole shells at the Zimmerman, McKee, Mt. Calvary, and
Rockford Glacial Kame sites in Ohio (Converse 1979; Cunningham 1948) in addition to
a sandal-sole shell gorget preform found at the Zimmerman site as shown in Figure 52
and Figure 51 above (Vastano 2009). These items indicate that at least some whole
shells were being transported to Ohio Glacial Kame sites where actual sandal-sole shell
gorget manufacture was taking place.
Various types of exchange networks could have facilitated the movement of either
raw material (shell) or finished goods (sandal-sole shell gorgets) from the Gulf Coast
northward into the core Glacial Kame area. Renfrew and Bahn (1996:352) present
multiple types of exchange based on where the exchange is taking place, who is
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controlling the trade, and how many people are involved in the trade. Although at first
glance it seems that multiple types of exchange networks could apply to Glacial Kame,
the evidence of shell ornaments similar to sandal-sole shell gorgets outside the standard
Glacial Kame area but not at the source of Busycon shell seems to point to networks
involving multiple people. This could include down-the-line-trade, central place
redistribution and market exchange, and middleman or emissary trading.
Archaic Busycon shell artifacts very similar to sandal-sole shell gorgets have been
documented in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida and Texas (Converse 1979; Hall
1981; Hoff and Hoff 2007, 2008; Ritchie 1955). Ritchie saw this as possible evidence of
northern Alabama, southern Tennessee, and Indian Knoll contributing to Glacial Kame
culture. Figure 54 shows a four-holed shell gorget from Watt‟s Cave, Christian County,
Kentucky. Other artifacts from Watt‟s Cave are very similar to Glacial Kame grave
goods. Figure 55 is one of numerous shell artifacts found at the Ernest Witte site
(41AU36) in Allen‟s Creek, Texas, with similarities to sandal-sole shell gorgets. The
Witte Site showed other similarities with Glacial Kame including contextual location of
the shell artifacts on the neck and chest and a shell artifact similar to Figure 55 that was
repaired in exactly the same manner as Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorget repairs.
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Figure 54: Four-holed shell gorget from Watt's Cave, Christian
County, Kentucky near the Tennessee line (Converse 1979:28)
Figure 55: Three-holed shell gorget from the Ernest Witte Site
(41AU36) in Allen's Creek, Texas (Hall 1981:195)
Past research support the idea of the Late Archaic trade networks being a
precursor to and setting the stage for Adena trade and the Hopewell exchange system
(Brose 1979; Fitting and Brose 1971; Hall 1981 from Griffin letter 1975; Sciulli and
Mahaney 1986). Per Hall, the evidence of similar shell gorgets in Florida, Tennessee,
Kentucky, Alabama, and Texas support the idea of Archaic trade networks setting the
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stage for later trade routes as part of the Hopewell exchange system (Hall 1981 from
Griffin letter 1975).
Biological and osteological studies are now helping us to understand the
biological relationship of various Glacial Kame sites. Numerous studies by Sciulli and
others have shown relatedness among Glacial Kame and other terminal Late Archaic
populations in Ohio (i.e., Red Ocher). The proximity of sites to each other (not
necessarily the assigned cultural affiliation of the site) determine the degree of
relatedness – the nearer the sites, the more biological exchange regardless of the cultural
dissimilarities (Sciulli and Schneider 1985). However, this degree of relatedness doesn‟t
necessarily apply when comparing Glacial Kame sites in the core area of Ohio with
“outlier” Glacial Kame sites outside that region. For example, the Reigh Site in
Wisconsin (where a sandal-sole shell gorget was found), was found to have no special
relationship to selected Glacial Kame sites in northern Ohio from a biological
perspective. The researchers state that “cultural similarity does not necessarily indicate
biological relatedness, and that significant variation exists within each of the two major
clusters” (Schneider and Scuilli 1983:7). They concluded that cultural traditions don‟t
necessarily represent biologic relatedness within Glacial Kame, which is also supported
by the findings of biological studies on Late Archaic sites done by Pfeiffer (1979).
This biological data supports exchange ideas put forth by Spence and Fox (1986).
Given the wide range of Glacial Kame (both spatially and temporally), they see Glacial
Kame groups participating in the widespread Archaic exchange network to different
degrees, picking and choosing the physical manifestations and social factors of burial
ceremonialism. They use this idea to explain the continuum of differences in grave
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goods, burial treatments, and grave offerings by age and sex found at Glacial Kame
cemeteries. Donaldson and Wortner (1995) also point out overlapping trade networks
that were “managed by many loosely connected local bands” as creating Glacial Kame
and Red Ocher „cultures‟ that may not be separate cultures at all but simply slightly
different materializations and interpretations of the same traditions and customs.
Ford (1974) sees the increasing importance and value of trade in the Late Archaic
as a way to explain increased similarity in exotic grave goods across long distances while
maintaining local variations. Exchange of exotic ceremonial items such as sandal-sole
shell gorgets for food or subsistence items became a type of insurance policy against
environmental changes. As small, local Late Archaic groups became more sedentary,
they depended more on local resources for subsistence and settlement, yet had access to
exotic shell, copper, and flint. Ford sees this as introducing “a homogeneity in socioceremonial items, while subsistence technology was becoming heterogeneous” because
of the increase in small, localized bands” (Ford 1974:394). His approach to Archaic trade
can be used to explain the variations seen in Glacial Kame and the similarities with Red
Ocher.
“Subsistence insurance” was also part of Brose‟s (1979) exchange theory. He
proposed that Late Archaic populations developed a sense of identity by returning
seasonally to a specific area for fishing, hunting and gathering. Territories were marked
by cemeteries, and trade of exotic goods was conducted with people in neighboring
territories. This exchange created mutual dependencies between groups that ensured
assistance and cooperation during times of environment changes and hardships.
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As stated in the Glacial Kame overview, Stothers supports the idea of major trade
axes and associated workshop locations that manufactured items for trade (Stothers and
Abel 1993; Stothers et al. 2001) that were part of a complex and wide-ranging Late
Archaic exchange system. In addition, he recognizes “trade fair” centers along the major
trade axes where Big Men who controlled the economic resources redistributed
commodities acquired through the trade network (Abel et al. 2001; Stothers and Abel
1993). He proposes that certain Late Archaic sites in the Glacial Kame region (the
Williams Mortuary complex in Wood County, Ohio, and the Hind Site in Middlesex
County, Ontario) were major “trade fair” centers much like Indian Knoll in Kentucky and
Poverty Point in Louisiana, representing the highest social level in the regional area. He
believes the exchange of ceremonial goods was controlled and goods distributed among
at least three levels of social groups based primarily on the proximity to the trade centers
(regional band, local band, and band segment), all with associated cemetery and mortuary
complexes. Frequency of the highest value ceremonial goods from exotic raw material
and the lowest value goods from local sources occurred in relation to the social level.
Thus major “trade fair” centers would have the highest frequency of high value exotic
ceremonial items which were less frequently dispersed to the other two lower social
levels. (Abel et al. 2001; Stothers et al. 2001) Stothers‟ proposed trade model is shown
in Figure 56. He identifies Poverty Point, Indiana Knoll, Williams and Hind all as major
trade centers, with Williams and Hind being classified as typical “Glacial Kame” sites.
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Figure 56: A model for regional band interaction c. 1000 B.C., showing material
source locations and major regional band configurations (Stothers and Abel
1993:84)
Please note that although Figure 56 shows Indiana Hornstone (more commonly
known as Wyandotte chert) in the slightly incorrect location and shows only the core
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Glacial Kame area in northwestern Ohio, it does give a good overview of possible trade
exchange networks during the Late Archaic that would support Glacial Kame trade and
the results of this thesis. Stothers‟ interaction and trade model supports down-the-line
trade, considered the most common type of long distance trade in the prehistoric eastern
United States (Patterson 2004). As part of down-the-line trade, commodities travel
across large distances spanning successive territories while being exchanged multiple
times. Often, down-the-line trade is identified only as the end result of an exotic raw
material being found many miles from its original sources. Intermediate exchange points
facilitate the distribution of goods but often show little archaeological data on types of
materials and goods traded. Patterson notes that “Poverty Point culture….of the Late
Archaic period is an extreme example of intensive trade of many exotic materials.”
The trade of lithic material can also be analyzed to support Glacial Kame
exchange networks beyond the obvious trade of copper and shell. Putty (2008:137,143)
shows substantial quantities of Late Archaic and Terminal Archaic lithic material from
Kentucky and Tennessee present at Crib Mound in southern Indiana. This movement of
lithic material parallels the possible exchange that is evidenced by shell gorgets found in
Kentucky and Tennessee that are strikingly similar to Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell
gorgets (Figure 54and Figure 55). The trade routes that were responsible for bringing
lithics north into Indiana could have also been used to exchange shell and Glacial Kame
cultural ideas from Kentucky and Indiana into southern Indiana and then northward again
into the core Glacial Kame area with its southern edge in east central Indiana and west
central Ohio. This again supports down-the-line trade as proposed by Patterson (2004)
and detailed by Renfrew and Bahn (1996:352).
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Fox and Rammel Sites, Sharpsburg, Ohio
As stated previously, two local sites are the sources of the 12 sandal-sole shell
gorgets in the Fort Recovery State Museum‟s collection. These sites were both
accidental discoveries, one pre-1880 and one in 1935, with no official site report or
article summarizing the sites. Details are sketchy, however the results of this thesis
research allows the story of these two sites to be pieced together from various sources.
In 1880, a letter was sent to the Smithsonian Institution by a Mr. J. L. Whitney
from Rose Hill, Ohio, that reports the following findings:
Copper axes and shell objects from a mound half a mile from Sharpsburg, Mercer
County, Ohio. Ten pairs of shell relics were found resembling the bottoms of
sandals. The mounds at this point are composed of sand and gravel. A large
quantity of shell beads, a copper axe, and the skeleton of a tall man were
recovered from the same mound. There are several mounds at this point
composed of sand and gravel. The largest contains a quantity of very fine grayishwhite sand, very hard, and streaked with bands of pure white sand. [Mason
1881:448]
This correspondence was in response to the Smithsonian Institution‟s Circular No. 316,
which asked the public to report the “permanent remains of the country, such as shellheaps, mounds, circumvallations, pueblos, etc.” (Mason1881:441). Mr. Whitney‟s
correspondence was published the following year in “Abstracts of the Smithsonian
Correspondence Relative to Aboriginal Remains in the United States” (Mason 1881).
The site Mr. Whitney refers to is almost certainly the Rammel Site cited in future
literature, located in Gibson Township, Mercer County, Ohio, one-quarter mile southeast
of the unincorporated village of Sharpsburg and 5 miles southeast of the closest
incorporated village, Fort Recovery (Galitza 1968).
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A photograph of one of the sandal-sole shell gorgets from the Rammel Site
appeared in “Art in Shell of the Ancient Americans” in 1883. W.H. Holmes gave the
most complete and detailed description of a sandal-sole shell gorget up to that time as
follows:
A remarkable specimen of this class is given in Figure 5. It is made from the
body of a large Busycon perversum, and is nine and one-half inches long by three
inches in width at the widest part. The concave surface has been highly polished,
but is now somewhat roughened by weathering; the back has been slightly ground
to take off the rougher ridges of growth; the edges are even and rounded to give it
very much the appearance of the sole of a sandal. The perforations are three in
number, one being near the middle and the others near the broader end, about one
and one-half inches apart; they are very neatly made and are slightly bi-conical
and a little countersunk. There appears to be no evidence whatever of abrasion by
use. It was found associated with human remains in a mound at Sharpsburg,
Mercer County, Ohio. A similar specimen from the same locality is nearly nine
inches in length. As in the specimen illustrated, one perforation is placed near the
middle and two others near the broader end. This specimen is highly polished on
the broader part of the back, and is evenly smoothed on the concave side. It
bears evidence of considerable use, and the two holes are much worn by a string
or cord, which, passing from one hole to another on the concave side of the plate,
gradually worked a deep groove between them. On the back of the convex side,
the perforations show no evidence of wear. The central perforation is not worn on
either side. The letter of Mr. Whitney transmitting this relic to the National
Museum, states that there were in the mound „about ten pairs of the shell sandals
of different sizes, and made to fit the right and left feet‟. From the latter remark, I
should infer that some were made from dextral and others from sinistral shells;
the two described are made from the Busycon perversum. [Holmes 1883:265]
Another possible Rammel Site gorget surfaced in 1895 and was inscribed with
“Found by John Smith, in gravel bank or mound, Mercer County, Ohio” and was marked
with the number 2812 (Moorehead 1900; Pillars 1895).
The next account of the sandal-sole shell gorgets from the Fort Recovery area is
in Cunningham‟s A Study of the Glacial Kame Culture in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana
(1948). He reports that the “Fort Recovery Banking Company has in its collection ten
sandal-sole shell gorgets” (Cunningham 1948:21). He gives other details of the artifacts
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and their discoveries at the site and states that “some of the artifacts in this collection
were in the Alex Fox gravel pit, and the rest were in the Leonard Rammel gravel pit”
(Cunningham 1948:21). This is the first mention of the Fox Site and is one and a half
miles northwest of the unincorporated village of Sharpsburg and three miles southeast of
the closest incorporated village, Fort Recovery (Galitza 1968). It is less than two miles
from the Rammel Site discovered before 1880. Of the Fox Site, Cunningham reports that
“this find was made accidently about 1935 in a glacial gravel deposit, and the information
obtained is hearsay” (Cunningham 1948:21).
It is assumed that the “hearsay” that Cunningham is referring to is the actual
details of the Fox Site and not the discovery itself. A picture from the Fort Recovery
Banking Company (Figure 57 and Figure 58 ) confirms the ownership of these sandalsole shell gorgets and Glacial Kame artifacts by the bank. It was reported that the whole
lot of Glacial Kame artifacts was purchased by the bank for $25 and was displayed at the
bank for many years (Converse 1979), as evidenced by the display case at the front
entrance. The bank donated the artifacts to the Fort Recovery Historical Society
sometime prior to May 1949. In announcing the grand opening of the museum that year,
the president of the Fort Recovery Historical Society writes:
The museum and relic room of the society was opened Sunday, May 1 (1949). There
was no formal program, but open house was maintained from one o‟clock until eight,
with tea served from two to five. The museum is located in the public library at Fort
Site Park and houses a fine collection of Indian and pioneer relics. Of special value
is a collection of sandal–shaped gorgets, said to be the largest in the world. [Longley
1949:351]
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Figure 57: Fort Recovery Banking Company (ca. 1930-1940) with
sandal-sole shell gorgets and other Glacial Kame artifacts on display
Figure 58: Close-up of sandal-sole shell
gorgets (top shelf) in Fort Recovery Banking
Company display case
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The 12 sandal-sole shell gorgets and associated Glacial Kame artifacts shown in
Figure 57 and Figure 58 have remained in the collection of the Fort Recovery Historical
Society since 1949. They were housed in the same display case in the museum located
on the second floor of the public library building until the 1960s. At that time, the library
moved into a different building and the Fort Recovery State Museum was established.
Since the establishment of the Fort Recovery State Museum, the sandal-sole shell gorgets
and other Glacial Kame artifacts have been displayed as part of a 1000-plus piece
prehistoric artifact collection in the prehistoric room of the museum.
In addition to the 12 sandal-sole shell gorgets in the Fort Recovery State Museum
collection that are presumably from the Fox or Rammel Sites, there are at least four other
sandal-sole shell gorgets in private collections marked with “Fort Recovery” (Bravard
and Converse 1973; Cunningham 1948:21-22). It is assumed that these also came from
the Fox or Rammel Sites. One such gorget is the Bravard Gorget (see Figure 33) with the
unique bas-relief engraving of a stylized bird. Bravard theorized that this engraved
gorget was owned privately and not made available for public display or review until it
came into his possession in the early 1970s (Bravard and Converse 1973). It is also
reported that a sandal-sole shell gorget from Sharpsburg, Ohio, is in the Museum of the
American Indian, Heye Foundation (now in the collection of the National Museum of the
American Indian division of the Smithsonian Institution) (Cunningham 1948:20),
bringing the total to at least seventeen sandal-sole shell gorgets that are most likely from
the Fox or Rammel Sites. There are rumors of several other sandal-sole shell gorgets
from these sites in at least two private collections locally (however, they want to remain
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private) and undoubtedly there are other sandal-sole shell gorgets from these two sites in
private collections throughout the country.
Chapter Five
Discussion and Conclusions
“As is usual in the case of accidental finds, and especially those made many years
ago, it is difficult to learn much of scientific value from this material” (Cunningham
1948:10). Cunningham‟s lament about the Harrison Site in Kalamazoo County,
Michigan, where site information, typical of many early Glacial Kame sites, was passed
down from the site discoverer in 1910 to family members to a friend to the author in the
1940s, holds true for many early Glacial Kame sites. Because of their accidental
discovery and early non-professional practices concerning artifacts and skeletal remains,
there certainly has been much scientific value lost from Glacial Kame sites over the
years. However, as this thesis shows, there is scientific value that can still be gleaned
from Glacial Kame sites, both professionally excavated and accidental discoveries.
Much of this scientific value comes from viewing Glacial Kame sites and their associated
grave goods as a whole and not focusing on specific sites or artifacts.
The results of this thesis will be analyzed by the four original research questions:

How were Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorgets made?

What was the purpose of Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorgets?

What was the distribution pattern within the Midwest of Glacial Kame sandalsole shell gorgets?
119

How can we best interpret and portray the story of Glacial Kame sandal-sole
shell gorgets to the public?
Research Question 1: Manufacture
The basic sandal-sole shell gorget manufacturing process gathered from the
various methods of research and presented in the Shell Manufacturing Techniques section
seems to be accurate and plausible. There does seem to be some difference of opinion
concerning the exact species of the lightning whelk used for sandal-sole shell gorgets
(Busycon perversum vs. Busycon contrarium), however that seems fairly esoteric in
nature and could be resolved by further sourcing studies. The taxonomic literature
indicates clear disagreement between these two Busycon species as evidenced by the
detailed review in “Busycon Taxonomic Travail” (Frank and Lee 1996).
The Zimmerman preform (Figure 52 and Figure 51) gives us some new
information about the manufacture of sandal-sole shell gorgets. Traditional thought is
that the sandal-sole gorget was cut or carved from the shell with a flint point (see Figure
48). As stated in the results, the owner of this preform believes that the holes around one
edge indicate that the holes were drilled into the whole shell before the preform was
actually released from the shell. It was then “sawed” between the holes to release the
shell. Although this does seem like a reasonable manufacturing technique, and one that
should be explored further, there has not been consistent evidence in other analyzed
sandal-sole shell gorgets to support this technique. Some of the gorgets examined had
edges that were not fully smoothed and had notches or cuts on the edges of the gorget,
but it was difficult to determine if these were naturally occurring from wear or human-
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made. Additional analysis could look for patterns of side wear, or experimental
archaeology with shell could help clarify this proposed manufacturing technique. It is
interesting to note that this preform has a hole drilled before it is finished as a sandal-sole
shell gorget. This is most likely the second hole from the top of the gorget. This may
indicate that the hole was drilled into the shell first and that the design and final shape of
the sandal-sole shell gorget was determined by the natural shape and curvature of the
shell. At the very least, it shows that the design and final shape were being contemplated
before the preform was fully finished and that the natural curvature and contours of the
shell played a large part in final form.
There seems to be a general consensus on the technique of drilling holes into the
sandal-sole shell gorget. A lithic drill was used and the holes were bi-conical (drilled
from both sides). There was little mention of any type of template or standard ratio for
the holes in previous literature besides what could be seen with casual observation. The
hole measurement results and accompanying statistical analysis of various measurement
ratios support a consistent pattern of hole manufacture. The low standard deviations of
the six calculated ratios indicate that the makers of sandal-sole shell gorgets understood
the idea of relative spacing and adjusted their hole spacing to the size of the shell and the
resulting gorget. This standardization seems to indicate either sandal-sole shell gorgets
were being made in a central location and were distributed to outlying areas or that a
mental template was shared among Glacial Kame groups. The idea of a shared template
is very interesting given that the overall length and width of sandal-sole shell gorgets are
quite variable while the hole measurement ratios are relatively standard, meaning that the
idea of relative spacing in relation to the template must have been shared as well. The
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hole measurement ratios cannot be used to support Hall‟s (1983) hypothesis that the three
holes on a sandal-sole shell gorget represent the sword in the constellation Orion (Figure
59) as the three stars are much more evenly spaced than the typical holes on a sandal-sole
shell gorget.
The three
stars in
Orion‟s sword
Figure 59: The three stars in the constellation Orion's sword
In all 11 cases of engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets, the engraving was found on
the concave side. In addition, the geometric design on the concave side of the MeredithGoodall sandal-sole shell gorgets did wrap around to partially cover the convex side of
the gorget. The exclusive use of the concave side for engraving seems to clearly indicate
that the concave (or inside of the shell) becomes the front of the sandal-sole shell gorget
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that is seen when used. The engraving in the five most elaborately engraved gorgets only
covered approximately the top two-thirds to top half of the gorget, as the engraving did
not extend below the third hole, or in one case, extended just below the third hole.
Engraving technique is not specifically addressed in the literature, although it is assumed
to have been achieved through the normal set of lithic tools with points, drills, and
abraders used to create the depressions or punctuations, points for the incised lines and
the bas-relief engravings.
Both Donaldson and Wortner (1995) and Ritchie (1949) contend that triangular
pendants at the Hind Site and Picton Site were reworked broken sandal-sole shell gorgets
as evidenced by shape, hole wear, and hole placement. Donaldson and Wortner suggest
that Glacial Kame artifacts be re-examined for this “recycling” technique. With this in
mind, two artifacts from the Burch Site in Michigan titled “unusual shell gorgets” now
appear to be triangular gorgets reworked from broken sandal-sole shell gorgets (Converse
1979:105). They show evidence of repair holes and are the shape of one end of a sandalsole shell gorget. The number of sandal-sole shell gorgets would undoubtedly rise if
collections were re-examined with this reworking process in mind.
The historical literature and ethnographic accounts gave a few clues to the
laborious nature of working with shell. It is obvious that large amounts of time were
required to create a sandal-sole shell gorget. My research did not uncover any examples
of experimental archaeology results from the actual manufacture of sandal-sole shell
gorgets, although that would be a useful area for further research and could help to
support or refute the proposed manufacturing techniques.
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Where these sandal-sole shell gorgets were actually manufactured will be
addressed in Research Question 3: Distribution.
Research Question 2: Use
Possible uses of sandal-sole shell gorgets can be put forward by analyzing several
different sets of results: hole wear, contextual information, engraved sandal-sole shell
gorgets, and symbolism and ceremonialism.
Variability was observed in the hole-wear pattern, however the most prevalent
pattern was hole-wear pattern 1. This pattern was seen in 73 percent (37 out of 51) of
sandal-sole shell gorgets as either a strong (49 percent) or weak (24 percent) pattern. An
illustration of hole-wear pattern 1 can be seen in Figure 17. The weak pattern exhibited
partial criteria of hole-wear pattern 1 while not conforming to any other pattern. There
does not seem to be any wear pattern or wear anomaly specific to a site or within a site as
the 73 percent is spread across the majority of the sites represented. Hole-wear pattern 1
is supported by many reports in the literature using smaller samples. The weave cord or
thong configuration that is most likely to cause this hole-wear pattern 1 is illustrated on a
photograph of a sandal-sole shell gorget in Figure 60. Other hole-wear data supports this
weave configuration. With only two exceptions, the first hole always shows wear with
the first hole having the highest incidence of heavy wear. This seems to indicate that the
pressure on the first hole was the greatest, which would lead to the conclusion that this is
almost certainly the top of the gorget.
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Figure 60: String through photo of
sandal-sole shell gorget showing
cord configuration that could cause
hole-wear pattern 1; COL2-208
Concave
Hole-wear pattern 2 is present in five (10%) sandal-sole shell gorgets and exhibits
wear on the bottom of the first hole and the bottom of the second hole on the concave
side. Hole wear on the other two holes are inconsistent. Hole-wear pattern 2 seems to
preclude the weave configuration that could lead to hole-wear pattern 1. The cord
configuration that could cause hole-wear pattern 2 is somewhat of an enigma as the wear
on the first two holes suggests a much different use than with hole-wear pattern 1. The
five gorgets with hole-wear pattern 2 and the nine gorgets with no consistent wear pattern
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show that there were other uses for sandal-sole shell gorgets that caused hole wear
inconsistent with hole-wear pattern 1.
The third hole shows the most sporadic and inconsistent wear. In numerous
cases, there is no wear at all on the third hole. In other cases, the wear is skewed toward
the right or left and not at the top or the bottom of the hole like it is in the first and second
holes. Sometimes the third hole wear is at the top, sometime at the bottom, sometime the
wear is slight and sometime it is heavy. Ritchie (1949) suggests that feathers, claws, or
fur strips could have been attached to the third hole. The hole wear results on a few
gorgets support hanging items (such as claws) from the third hole as that would exhibit
hole wear on the bottom of the third hole on both sides of the gorget. If the items
hanging from the third hole were loose, this would also support the data showing
sporadic hole wear. Attaching feathers to the third hole might have caused wear on the
top of the concave side and the bottom of the convex side, which is also present in the
data. An ethnographic account (Adair 1775) also talks about using a buckhorn button for
attachment, which could translate to using shell beads for attachment-also causing
sporadic and non-consistent hole wear. Another possibility is that the string was knotted
at the third hole on the concave side either directly on the sandal-sole shell gorget or by
using a shell bead as a button. Again sporadic hole wear could be the result of this type
of attachment.
A somewhat obvious conclusion of the hole wear data is that sandal-sole shell
gorgets were used, and in some cases used enough to create some deep grooves and
notches (heavy wear) in the holes. These were not simply ceremonial items worn
occasionally. This common use is also evidenced by the high number of broken,
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repaired, and reworked sandal-sole shell gorgets. Glacial Kame people weren‟t just
keeping these for “show” or burial ceremonialism; perhaps they were even using these as
every day symbols of an important person or an important group.
The contextual information is not entirely conclusive. Part of this is due to
incomplete (or completely missing) records kept at the time of discovery, which has led
to a relatively small sample size and questionable accuracy in some of the earlier
accounts. Sandal-sole shell gorgets were found in the area of the skull (n =10), near the
shoulders and neck (n =5), at the chest and torso (n =19), and at the legs (n =2). It was
sometimes reported that the tightly flexed burials made determining the exact location
where the gorget was worn a bit difficult. Only one burial (at the Doetsch Site) was
buried with two sandal-sole shell gorgets, where every other burial contained just a single
gorget. This data could certainly support use on the chest or the head, assuming the
gorgets were placed on the burial as they were actually used.
Equally inconclusive is the age and the sex of the burials. As mentioned in the
results, three males of unknown age were identified with sandal-sole shell gorgets and
three young adult females. Interestingly, the Doetsch Site burial with two sandal-sole
shell gorgets (one at the chest and one between the legs) was of a young adult female.
But again, with the tightly flexed burials, the leg location could also be interpreted as the
lower abdomen (see Figure 20). Based on this information, the use does not appear to be
age or gender related.
Of the 11 known engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets, six were analyzed as part of
this thesis. The hole wear on these specimens is very interesting as two of the engraved
gorgets do exhibit the most prevalent hole-wear pattern 1, but one engraved gorget
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exhibits hole-wear pattern 2, and three engraved gorgets exhibit no hole-wear pattern.
This calculates to only 33 percent (2 out of 6) of engraved gorgets showing hole-wear
pattern 1 as compared to 78 percent (35 out of 45) of non-engraved analyzed specimens
exhibiting hole-wear pattern 1. Other hole wear observations did not yield any notable
patterns, and on average, engraved gorgets show less wear than non-engraved sandal-sole
shell gorgets. This could mean that engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets were used
differently and less often than non-engraved gorgets. Perhaps engraved gorgets were
kept for ceremonial occasions and used less often.
As was previously discussed in the analysis of how sandal-sole shell gorgets
were made, the engraving always appears on the concave side leading to the conclusion
that the concave side is the front or the side facing outward to be viewed. The symbolism
inherent in engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets does not really give us any clue regarding
use, except to suggest perhaps engraved gorgets were more valuable and special, and thus
used less often than those without engraving. The engravings do tell us that Glacial
Kame people represented the world around them (possible snakes, birds, vultures,
turkeys, bears) with a few standard design elements (three closely spaced incised lines,
highly stylistic renditions, and geometric patterns).
The analysis of the engravings on sandal-sole shell gorgets show evidence of
artistic elements that can be found in the late prehistoric and protohistoric Southeastern
Ceremonial Complex (SECC). Geometric patterns of three incised lines representing
birds, animals, and snakes can be found on circular shell gorgets in the Cox Mound and
Citico Mound classification with proveniences of Alabama and Tennessee (Brain and
Phillips 1996). These Cox Mound and Citico Mound designs tend to be a bit more
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complex than the Glacial Kame incised line representations, but the underlying
fundamental design elements are eerily similar. In addition to Glacial Kame symbolism
and ceremonialism most likely being a foundation for Adena and Hopewell, it appears
that there could be a possible link with SECC design.
Of the possible uses of sandal-sole shell gorgets given by past researchers the
most credible seem to be those where the shell is suspended from the neck (not a true
gorget worn at the neck) or worn attached to or in the hair. This opinion is based on
using two main criteria to rule out the other suggested options (ceramic tool, wrist
protectors, shuttle, and cord twister). The first criterion is the high occurrence of a holewear pattern 1 that does not support any of these alternative uses. The other criterion is
the fact that imported shell seems too valuable and too exotic to be used for utilitarian
functions such as those listed.
The use of shell gorgets for hair ornaments as suggested by a few researchers
(Cunningham 1948; Sciulli and Schuck 2001) piqued my interest as perhaps they were a
precursor to historic roach spreaders. However, since the hole-wear pattern and
engraving indicates that the concave side was the “front” of the sandal-sole shell gorget,
it seems like hair attachment might be difficult. Also, the hole-wear pattern indicates
quite a bit of pressure on the holes, and it seems a bit unlikely that the amount of pressure
to create deep notching could be due to hair attachment. Sciulli and Shuck reported
(2001) that they planned to publish evidence that circular shell gorgets functioned as hair
barrettes at the Glacial Kame Duff Site in Ohio, but no such publication seems to have
appeared. Those results will be interesting to review and analyze with respect to sandalsole shell gorgets.
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Another idea for use not seen in the literature was as a clasp or ornament worn
diagonally across the body. After viewing the hole wear results, this no longer seems
reasonable due to the inconsistent wear on the third hole. This sort of attachment would
have produced consistent and noticeable wear at the bottom of the third hole on the
concave side and also on the bottom edge of the gorget itself on the concave side.
After ruling out various uses based on the data, the most plausible sandal-sole
shell gorget function is being hung on the chest (more as a pendant than a gorget) using
the standard weave pattern illustrated in Figure 60 and suspended on a another cord that
is then hung around the neck or sewn to clothing. In this way, the cord woven through
the sandal-sole shell gorget is positioned straight up and down, creating hole-wear pattern
1 observed on most gorgets. To create the pressure needed to create some of the deep
notching seen in the first (and sometimes second) hole, I propose that the cord coming
out of the third hole was knotted on the concave side but that a length of cord was left.
On this length of cord extending beyond the length of the gorget, some material such as
shell and copper beads (ubiquitous in Glacial Kame burials) could have been strung thus
adding weight and pressure and creating the heavy notching present on the upper holes.
The movement of the shell beads on the extended cord covering the bottom half of the
gorget and the knotting at the third hole could have caused the sporadic hole wear seen on
the third hole. This proposed use is supported by ethnographic accounts and historical
pictures of shells and beads on the chest, often attached to each other. The attached beads
could also explain why the most elaborately engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets only have
the engravings on the upper two-thirds of the gorget (above or just below the third hole)
as the hanging beads would obscure engraving on the bottom part of the gorget. At the
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bottom of the hanging beads, the cord could have hung free thus causing the nonconsistent and lesser amount of hole wear found on the third hole.
Figure 61 below shows the possible attachment of a cord running through a
sandal-sole shell gorget and attached to a cord or choker around the neck. This would
allow the sandal-sole shell gorget to be suspended from the neck in a way that would
produce the hole-wear pattern 1. Figure 62 shows a mock sandal-sole shell gorget with
the proposed bead attachments extending beyond the third hole. This adds pressure to the
cord weaving through the sandal-sole shell gorget to produce the hole-wear pattern 1 and
heavy wear and notching seen in the hole-wear data.
Figure 61: Little Squint Eye, San
Carlos Apache, showing attachment of
circular gorget suspended from the
collar (Smithsonian National Museum
of the American Indian 2009: Catalog
Number P09902)
Figure 62: Mock sandal-sole shell
gorget with bead attachment below
3rd hole
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Research Question 3: Distribution
It is apparent that the Late Archaic people had vast trade networks to acquire the
exotic raw materials or the finished goods made from the exotic raw materials.
Specifically, the Glacial Kame people had vast trade networks to acquire the shell from
the Gulf Coast used to manufacture sandal-sole shell gorgets. Some researchers conclude
that transporting whole shells would be cumbersome and most likely sections of cut
shells or the sandal-sole shell gorgets themselves were traded northward. However, the
few whole shells in Glacial Kame sites and the one known preform at the Zimmerman
site show that at least some shell manufacturing activity was taking place in northern
Ohio Glacial Kame sites.
The dominance of hole-wear pattern 1 and its representation across the vast
majority of Glacial Kame sites where sandal-sole shell gorgets were found greatly
supports the theory of wide-spread trade and shared cultural ideas. Hole measurement
data also supports the fact that Glacial Kame sites were trading and sharing with each
other or with central trading partners. Twenty out of the 24 ANOVA tests comparing the
Zimmerman, Fox-Rammel, and Burch Sites showed that sandal-sole shell gorgets from
these sites are not statistically different. This validates the idea that either the sandal-sole
shell gorget themselves were made centrally and traded, or a mental template was shared
among Glacial Kame groups. However, four out of the 24 ANOVA tests do show
significance and statistical differences. All four of these significant ANOVA tests
involve the Burch site, and three of the four involve the width of the sandal-sole shell
gorget. This could be due to cultural variation as the Burch site is separated by a greater
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distance than the other two sites or could possibly be due to a different type of shell being
used.
The evidence of “southern-style” sandal-sole shell gorgets in Alabama, Kentucky,
Tennessee, Florida, and Texas seems to fit well with Stothers and Abel‟s (1993) regional
band interaction theory as seen in Figure 56. If the shell and gorgets were travelling
through regional trade centers, it makes sense that some goods could be dispersed to what
Stothers calls local centers. This also supports Hall‟s (1981) theory that the Busycon
shell forms found at the Ernest Witte site in Texas, that look very much like Glacial
Kame sandal-sole shell gorgets, were not locally sourced but were part of a trade
network. It could possibly be the same trade network as the source of Glacial Kame
Busycon. Also supporting this exchange network theory with the southern region are the
similarities of Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorget engravings with temporally later
SECC engravings on circular shell gorgets. The location of these similar design elements
in Alabama and Kentucky (and nowhere else in the SECC), could indicate continuity in
design influenced by Glacial Kame via these Late Archaic trade networks and could give
us a clue as to the likely route.
Stothers‟ theory of Late Archaic regional trade centers dispersing goods to local
trade centers is also intriguing when examining sandal-sole shell gorget distribution in the
core Glacial Kame area. A site or area is defined as a regional trade center based on
larger population and abundance of exotic grave goods. He has identified the Williams
Cemetery and the Hind Site as regional centers in the “Glacial Kame” area. I would also
like to propose that the Zimmerman Site in Hardin County, Ohio, and the Fox and
Rammel Sites in Mercer County, Ohio, could also be considered as regional trade centers.
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Making this case is somewhat difficult as the Williams Cemetery in Wood County was
professionally excavated, whereas the Zimmerman Site and the Fox and Rammel Sites
were accidental discoveries with little formal documentation. However, based on the
notes and artifacts from these two sites, they do certainly seem to match the regional
trade center criteria for population and abundance of exotic grave goods. In addition to
over 20 sandal-sole shell gorgets found at each site, over 250 skeletons were eventually
found at the Zimmerman Site (Converse 1979:85) with a “great many burials” (Converse
1979:108) found at the Fox and Rammel Sites.
These two sites would also seem to fit the regional trade center concept from a
geographic standpoint as the Zimmerman Site is approximately 60 miles south of the
Williams Cemetery and the Fox and Rammel Sites are then another 60 miles southwest of
the Zimmerman Site. Both Zimmerman and Fox/Rammel are surrounded by Glacial
Kame sites, with the Fox and Rammel Sites towards the southern boundary of the core,
traditionally defined Glacial Kame area. Based on the ANOVA tests summarized in
Table 14, the hole measurements and ratios show strong similarities between the sites
certainly supporting the idea that these two areas could have dealt closely and traded with
each other.
The distribution of the engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets also gives credence to
Zimmerman and Fox/Rammel being important or regional trade centers. Of the 11
known engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets, two came from the Rammel or Fox Site with
another four engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets found at Glacial Kame sites within 20
miles (Rockford, Mercer County unknown site, and the Mulen Kame). The relationship
between the Rammel and Fox Site and the Mulen Kame in Randolph County, Indiana, is
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interesting both because of its proximity (20 miles away) and the concentration of
engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets. The stylized bird found on the Bravard Gorget from
the Rammel Site (Figure 33) is certainly similar in design and representation to the
stylized bird found on the gorget from the Mulen Kame (Figure 30). The incised
engraving of parallel lines and Xs found on a gorget from the Rammel or Fox Site
(Figure 36) is certainly similar to the incised engraving of parallel lines and Xs found on
a gorget from the Mulen Kame (Figure 28). It seems possible that there was a special
relationship between these two sites with the Fox and Rammel Sites perhaps acting as a
regional trade center for the Mulen Kame. The Zimmerman site had one engraved sandalsole shell gorget with one other engraved gorget in close proximity from Hardin County.
All of this distribution evidence seems to support the opinion of many
archaeologists (Donaldson and Wortner 1995; Stothers et al. 2001) that Glacial Kame is
not an entity or culture in and of itself but is part of a much wider “core of religiosity” as
suggested by Ritchie (1955:75) as are other regional burial complexes such as Red
Ocher, Old Copper, and Meadowood. Trade networks not only facilitated the exchange
of material goods but of ideas and biological traits as well. The scattering of sandal-sole
shell gorgets and other burial complex “diagnostic” artifacts beyond the core Glacial
Kame area in all directions shows that people across the Eastern Woodlands were
borrowing ceremonial and symbolic ideas from each other and incorporating them into
their own cultures and daily lives.
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Research Question 4: Public Exhibition
The 12 sandal-sole shell gorgets in the Fort Recovery State Museum collection
are part of a larger Glacial Kame collection which in turn is part of a prehistoric
collection numbering over one thousand artifacts covering all prehistoric periods.
Several recent upgrades to the prehistoric collection (housed in a single room) include
timelines and videos addressing the following questions that visitors to the museum often
have:

How did people use these prehistoric artifacts?

How old are they?

How were they made?
These three themes will be continued in creating an exhibit to showcase the local
Glacial Kame artifacts, specifically the sandal-sole shell gorgets. In addition, because the
artifacts have local provenience, the history of the artifacts and their discovery will be
conveyed through the exhibit. The importance of this local collection to regional, state,
and national prehistory will be emphasized. The village of Fort Recovery takes great
pride in their local museum and in the prominent role the local area has played in both
prehistory and history.
The 12 sandal-sole shell gorgets in the Fort Recovery State Museum collection
are known to be from either the Alex Fox gravel pit or Leonard Rammel gravel pit, both
of which are just a few miles from Fort Recovery. The museum does not have original
documentation regarding these gorgets, but it is known that these were originally owned
by the Fort Recovery Banking Company (Cunningham 1948:21). A picture owned by the
bank documents this and will become part of the exhibit.
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The Glacial Kame display will be in the existing upstairs room that holds the
prehistoric artifact collection. The majority of artifacts are currently displayed very
simply in horizontal, recessed cases (Figure 63) with labels identifying the artifact and
time period. The sandal-sole shell gorgets are currently “hidden” amongst the other
artifacts with no attention drawn to their significance or local provenience. To be able to
tell the story behind these artifacts, it seemed best to have them highlighted in a separate
display case. There is currently one vertical display case that will be used for the new
Glacial Kame display (Figure 64). The historic rifles currently in this case will be
removed and placed elsewhere in the museum as they are the only historic artifacts in this
room and are obviously out of place. This vertical display case measures 69 inches wide
by 46 inches high and is at least 8 inches deep. There is also an open wall space beside
this case that is 44 inches wide by 34 inches high that can be used for a descriptive panel.
Figure 63: Current display case with Glacial Kame artifacts and sandal-sole shell
gorgets in Fort Recovery State Museum
137
Figure 64: Current vertical display case with rifles that will be
used for the new Glacial Kame display
As used for the new Glacial Kame exhibit, this display case will house the
collection of 12 sandal-sole shell gorgets, selected additional Glacial Kame artifacts from
the Fox and Rammel Sites, and descriptive panels. One or more panels will be mounted
on the open wall directly to the right of the display case. The specific artifacts and
panels include:

Twelve sandal-sole shell gorgets (see Appendix A photographs FRSM-01
through FRSM-08)

Selected additional Glacial Kame Artifacts from the Fox and Rammel Sites
(see Appendix B for photographs)

Large Panel # 1 – Glacial Kame and Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets

Large Panel # 2 – Local Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets

Small Panel # 3 – 1880 Smithsonian Report

Small Panel # 4 – 1949 Ohio Historical Society Report

Small Panel # 5 - Bibliography
138
This exhibit upgrade will be done in conjunction with the Ohio Historical Society
and their exhibit design team. The goal for implementation of this exhibit is May 2010,
which would coincide with the opening of the museum for 2010 and the grand opening of
other exhibit upgrades planned elsewhere in the museum. A mock-up of the proposed
Glacial Kame exhibit can be seen in Figure 65. The text of each panel follows in Figure
66 through Figure 70.
Figure 65: Mock-up of the proposed Glacial Kame exhibit at the Fort Recovery
State Museum
139
Glacial Kame and Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets
The Glacial Kame burial complex was prominent in northwestern Ohio and surrounding
areas in the Late Archaic period from
3000 to 1000 B.C. People in this area
ceremonially buried their dead in hills
of gravels that were left by receding
glaciers (glacial kames). Included in
Glacial Kame burials were artifacts of
slate, shell, and copper. The most
unique and rare Glacial Kame artifact
is the sandal-sole shell gorget, as only
approximately 100 are known to
exist. The sandal-sole shell gorget
was made from Busycon perversum shell from the Gulf Coast. The shell traveled from
the Gulf Coast via extensive trade networks. The exact use of sandal-sole shell gorgets is
unknown, although analysis of hole wear indicates that it was most likely suspended from
the neck (a gorget) and could have been adorned with additional shell beads. This
artifact‟s name comes from being originally described as shaped like the sole of a sandal.
Figure 66: Large Panel # 1 - Glacial Kame and Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets
140
Local Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets
The 12 sandal-sole shell gorgets and other Glacial Kame artifacts displayed here are from
two gravel pits, the Fox Site and the Rammel Site, in nearby Sharpsburg, Ohio. Some of
these artifacts were discovered in 1880
with others found in 1935 when gravel
was being dug from these glacial kames.
This collection was purchased by the
Fort Recovery Banking Company for
$25 and was displayed in the bank until
1949 (picture at left) when it became
part of the museum‟s collection. Other
sandal-sole shell gorgets from these
same sites are now in private collections and museums throughout the country.
Figure 67: Large Panel # 2 - Local Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets
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1880 Smithsonian Report
From the Smithsonian Annual Report for the Year 1880.
“J.L. Whitney writing from Rose Hill, Ohio, speaks of copper axes and shell objects from
a mound half a mile from Sharpsburg, Mercer County, Ohio. Ten pairs of shell relics
were found resembling the bottoms of sandals”
Figure 68: Small Panel # 3 - 1880 Smithsonian Report
1949 Ohio Historical Society News
From the Fort Recovery Historical Society, Iris Longley, President
“The Fort Recovery Historical Society museum and relic room of the society was opened
Sunday May 1…. Of special value is a collection of sandal-shaped gorgets, said to be the
largest in the world”
Figure 69: Small Panel # 4 - 1949 Ohio Historical Society News
Bibliography
Converse, Robert N.
1979 The Glacial Kame Indians. Columbus, Ohio: The Archaeological Society of
Ohio.
Cunningham, Wilbur
1948 A Study of the Glacial Kame Culture in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.
Occasional Contributions from the Museum of Anthropology of the University of
Michigan 12:31-32.
Keller, Christine K.
2009 Glacial Kame Sandal-Sole Shell Gorgets: An Exploration of Use,
Manufacture, Distribution, and Exhibition. M.A. thesis, Department of
Anthropology, Ball State University.
Longley, Iris
1949 Historical News: Fort Recovery Historical Society. Ohio History 58:351.
Mason, Otis T.
1881 Abstracts of the Smithsonian Correspondence Relative to Aboriginal Remains
in the United States. In The Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the
Smithsonian Institution for the Year 1880. Washington: Government Printing
Office.
Figure 70: Large Panel # 5 - Bibliography
Chapter Six
Summary and Recommendations
Summary of Research Contributions
As touched upon in previous chapters, this research has archaeological
significance on a local, state, and regional level. From a local perspective, the Fort
Recovery State Museum and its visitors will now have a better understanding of the local
sandal-sole shell gorget collection, its importance, and its value to further research. This
research will allow the museum to tell the story of their collection in a much more
meaningful and archaeologically and historically accurate manner. The museum and
their visitors will gain an understanding of the background of these gorgets along with
their possible use and manufacture. Most importantly, they will understand these sandalsole gorgets in the larger context of the Glacial Kame burial complex and will recognize
how Glacial Kame fits into the chronology of regional prehistory.
Because the Fort Recovery State Museum is an Ohio Historical Society (OHS)
member museum, this research will be valuable at a state level. The sandal-sole gorget
collection is owned by the Fort Recovery State Museum, but because it is actually
displayed in a museum owned by the Ohio Historical Society, OHS takes great interest in
this collection. As part of my research agreement, this thesis will be shared with OHS
and perhaps can be a source of future collaboration between the Fort Recovery State
143
Museum and the Ohio Historical Society and their other partner museums, historical
societies, and archaeological societies within Ohio.
The regional significance of this research centers on the Glacial Kame burial
complex and its relationship within the Late Archaic to other similar burial complexes
and to later temporal periods. Sandal-sole shell gorgets are one of the diagnostic artifacts
of Glacial Kame, and as such, new research and information on sandal-sole shell gorgets
is important to anyone with an interest in Glacial Kame. There have been two seminal
works on Glacial Kame, A Study of the Glacial Kame Culture (Cunningham 1948) and
The Glacial Kame Indians (Converse 1979), with very little detailed Glacial Kame
specific research published since that time. Re-interpretation of available sandal-sole
gorget data and analysis of new data gathered as part of this thesis project should be of
great interest to Glacial Kame enthusiasts as a follow-up to Cunningham‟s and
Converse‟s books.
Although these two works certainly highlighted sandal-sole shell gorgets, they
were concerned with the entire Glacial Kame complex. There has never has been a
detailed volume specifically focused on sandal-sole shell gorgets and interpreting Glacial
Kame from the manufacture, use, and distribution of these artifacts. This thesis continues
the sandal-sole shell gorget dialogue started by Cunningham (1948) and Converse (1979)
and adds some invaluable detailed scientific research to the mix. In addition, this thesis
contributed new research results and tools to the Glacial Kame and sandal-sole shell
gorget body of knowledge.
The Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget Discovery Inventory listed in Table 1 is a valuable
tool for anyone interested in sandal-sole shell gorgets. This information has been
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gathered from many different primary and secondary resources and is the most up-to-date
and comprehensive listing of Glacial Kame sites with sandal-sole shell gorgets. In
addition to using information from Cunningham (1948) and Converse (1979), all primary
sources were reviewed where available and all new information since 1979 has been
updated. All discrepancies and confusing issues (i.e., site name changes, museum name
changes, collections changing hands) have been resolved as much as possible.
Particularly helpful to future researchers is the current location of sandal-sole shell
gorgets, if known. The information listed in Table 3: Possible Sandal-Sole Shell Gorget
Sites (Unsubstantiated) is also very valuable because this information is often “lost” in
the current literature and could prove important to future researchers.
The results of the detailed sandal-sole shell gorget analysis and other research
methods are also unique as there has never been such a large and varied sample (covering
over a dozen Glacial Kame sites) used for such detailed and controlled analysis. In
addition to supporting this thesis‟ discussion and analysis, it is hoped that the hole
measurement results, hole wear results, digital photographs, and contextual information
results can be helpful to future researchers and save them much time by their not having
to compile this data from scratch and from personal analysis or primary resources.
Although there have been previous reports of the standard “weave” hole-wear pattern
reported on limited numbers of sandal-sole shell gorgets (Converse 1979; Donaldson and
Wortner 1995; Ritchie 1949), there has never been a study that has analyzed such a large
percentage of gorgets substantiating this wear pattern. Hole measurement data has been
rarely reported and interpreted (Hall 1983), and the analysis potential of this data is
endless. Although context information was collected from the various existing site
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reports, articles, and books, it has never been detailed and consolidated in this manner.
The presentation of this data should now make future context analysis much easier and
more effective.
The information on engraved sandal-sole shell gorgets consolidated data from
many different sources to provide a much more comprehensive and effective synopsis of
decorated sandal-sole shell gorgets than previously available. A new engraved sandalsole shell gorget (FRSM-10 from the Rammel Site or Fox Site) was discovered and
presented as part of this research. Because of this consolidation, conclusions about the
symbolism and ceremonialism inherent in sandal-sole shell gorgets can be more easily
reached and supported in future research.
Data concerning shell manufacturing techniques were also pulled from many
different sources and consolidated. The Zimmerman preform had never been discussed
in previous literature and adds new data to support proposed manufacturing techniques.
Also new was the information from Hall (1981) that provided much information on
proposed manufacturing on shell ornaments from Texas that look very similar to sandalsole shell gorgets.
By re-interpreting Glacial Kame distribution using Stothers‟ Late Archaic
regional trade center theory, the importance of the Zimmerman and Fox/Rammel Sites
became apparent. The proposal of those two sites as regional trade centers will allow
future researchers to better assess how other Glacial Kame sites fit into this distribution
model. It also supports the idea of Glacial Kame being part of a much larger and much
more interactive distribution and exchange sphere that allows a continuity of mortuary
customs and beliefs with regional variations.
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This new research contributed to a proposed use that was a variation on previous
researchers‟ ideas. The idea of a suspended gorget with beads attached to an extended
cord borrowed ideas from past studies while adding a new twist based on the results of
this thesis. As with all research, future studies may refute this new proposed sandal-sole
shell gorget function based on additional data and new research.
A somewhat unintended but very important contribution of this thesis is the
bibliography. Because it had been thirty years since the last major Glacial Kame volume,
the exhaustive literature review uncovered many valuable journal articles, book chapters,
and site reports that were written after Converse 1979. This thesis‟ bibliography will
serve as an important resource for those studying and researching Glacial Kame sites and
artifacts in the future.
Recommendations for Future Research
As with all archaeological research, it seems as if new unanswered questions far
outnumber any explanations or resolutions. The results of this thesis support numerous
areas for future research.
Due to time and budget constraints, not all publicly available sandal-sole shell
gorgets were analyzed as part of this thesis. It is hoped that the remainder of the
accessible sandal-sole shell gorgets in museums and private collections can be examined
and their statistics added to the existing hole wear and hole measurement data. It is also
important for future research to include all newly identified sandal-sole shell gorgets in
this data. The comprehensive list of sandal-sole shell gorgets in Table 1 should facilitate
this task.
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Sandal-sole shell gorgets are not the only Glacial Kame artifacts with a similar
shape, three perforations and a distinct wear pattern. Three-holed cannel coal gorgets
(Galitza 1958b) and slate sandal-sole gorgets (Converse 1979:69) often exhibit obvious
wear patterns that could also be caused by the weaving of a cord through the holes (see
Figure 72 and Figure 71). The concavo-convex design of the stone sandal-sole gorget
emulates the contours of the sandal-sole shell gorget. Future studies of these artifacts‟
hole measurements, wear patterns, context information, and engravings could provide
clues to the purpose of sandal-sole shell gorgets, as perhaps the functionality was the
same amongst these three types of artifacts with only the raw material being dissimilar.
Figure 71: Slate sandal-sole
gorget (Converse 1979:69)
Figure 72: Cannel coal gorget
(Galitza 1958b:27)
148
As mentioned previously, there are shell artifacts found in Kentucky, Alabama,
Florida, Tennessee, and Texas that are very similar to Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell
gorgets (Cunningham 1948:37; Hall 1981; Hoff and Hoff 2007; Vastano 2008). This
thesis concentrated on Glacial Kame sandal-sole shell gorgets in the Midwest, but
certainly the similarities between the “southern” versions of these shell artifacts should be
examined in the future and considered when discussing manufacture, use, and
distribution.
There have been interesting studies done on the sourcing of Busycon shell
artifacts (Claassen and Sigmann 1993) using atomic-absorption spectroscopy (AAS).
These studies can help determine the original marine source of shell artifacts found
inland. This particular set of studies did not involve any Glacial Kame shell artifacts but
this could be an area for future exploration. Although the authors point out that
determining the sourcing of shell does not necessarily equate to a study of trade as a
cultural event, it would at least determine which sites are receiving shell from the same or
nearby sources. This could in turn help determine points of down-the-line trade or direct
procurement. This type of shell sourcing research could be coupled with detailed
analysis of the “southern” version of the sandal-sole shell gorgets mentioned previously.
Various biological, osteological, and mitochondrial DNA studies were mentioned
and provided very important information on the Glacial Kame people, their way of life,
interactions between various Glacial Kame and non-Glacial Kame sites, and influence of
Glacial Kame on descendants (i.e., Adena and Hopewell). However, not all available
Glacial Kame Skeletal remains have been analyzed. It is hoped that this work continues
to provide new results and findings to help us better understand Glacial Kame and its role
149
in prehistory. Continued biological studies of Glacial Kame remains can also help
determine if sandal-sole shell gorgets truly are found more often in young adult female
burials as preliminary findings might suggest.
This thesis has shown that a prevalent hole-wear pattern does exist among sandalsole shell gorgets, however it is not known how much wear or use is needed to create
such wear patterns in Busycon perversum shell. How much burden on the shell is needed
and for how long to create notching that is evident in many sandal-sole shell gorgets? Is
weight and stress on the shell or the amount of time exposed to this stress a bigger factor
in notch creation? Shell wear metrics could help determine possible use by ruling out
implausible causes of the typical sandal-sole shell gorget hole-wear patterns. Further
research could also investigate the possible causes of hole-wear pattern 2, which shows
bottom wear on the first hole and second hole on the concave sides. The categories of
hole wear used in this thesis (slight, normal, and heavy) were fairly subjective and
relative, and could be metrically defined in future research for greater precision in
analysis.
As part of the hole measurement analysis, the ANOVA tests showed that the
Burch Site examples showed differences in sandal-sole shell gorget width compared to
those from the Fox-Rammel and Zimmerman Sites. Further research of the Burch Site,
affiliated sandal-sole shell gorgets, and other artifacts could provide clues to the reason
for this width uniqueness.
It has also been shown that there is evidence to support possible use of sandal-sole
shell gorgets as hair ornaments. Chemically, the main component of marine shell is
calcium carbonate. Future research could investigate the effect of shell and calcium
150
carbonate on the hair or bare skin. Adverse reactions and the time needed to cause these
reactions could effectively rule out some possible uses of sandal-sole shell gorgets as hair
ornamentation. Additional examination of hole-wear pattern 2 and inconsistent holewear patterns could also support or refute this use.
There are very few radiocarbon dates for Glacial Kame sites. The compilation of
these dates and correlation with sandal-sole shell gorgets could possibly reveal new clues
about the use, manufacture, and distribution of sandal-sole shell gorgets. Continuation of
the recent Glacial Kame osteological studies should help in this area.
It was beyond the scope of this thesis to fully investigate the relationship between
engravings on sandal-sole shell gorgets and shell engravings from later prehistoric
periods and cultures (Adena, Hopewell, Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, etc.). There
is certainly preliminary evidence that supports Glacial Kame art forms laying a
foundation for future symbolism. This could be investigated in much more detail.
Engraved Glacial Kame circular shell gorgets and slate gorgets and symbolism inherent
in Glacial Kame birdstones should be included along with engraved sandal-sole shell
gorgets as part of this future research.
It is hoped that the references and preliminary work of this thesis will be a
foundation for the future work listed above.
151
ILLUSTRATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The figures and illustrations listed below are all used in accordance with Section
107, Fair Use, of the Copyright Law, Title 17 of the United States Code. Page citations
for each figure are given in the figure captions.
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Figure 20
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